Hot Stone Massage

Everything You Wanted to Know About Hot Stone Massage!

First, a brief History of Hot Stones

Mother Earth's gift of volcanic stones have been used by many different cultures for thousands of years.  Basalt is an igneous rock produced under conditions of intense heat and solidified from molten lava.

In ancient times many healers used rocks from the river beds and warmed them on hot coals or in hot water and then placed the hot stones, wrapped in cloth, along the energy centre's of the body.  This would help to relax the muscles and reduce pain or discomfort, initiating a deep healing process.

Native American women would use the warm stones in the same way that we use hot water bottles.  These precious stones are revered and are highly respected by Hawaiian people.  Hot Stone Therapy was brought into modern day by Mary Nelson a Massage Therapist form Tuscon, Arizona in the mid nineties and is widely used around the world today.

Hot Stone Massage Therapy is both a massage and a therapy in one treatment using Hot Basalt Stones and if required Cold Marble Stones.  This treatment works on four levels gently rebalancing all the body's systems, relaxing, calming and soothing leaving you totally re-balanced and energized.  A deeply warming, soothing therapy, using smooth Hot Stones this treatment can be used therapeutically or purely for relaxation.  The heat from the basalt stones deeply penetrate the muscular structures, soothing and releasing tension and toxins, warming and sedating the body's systems. White marble stones may be used if you have an injury or your system need a boost.  With their unique cooling temperatures, they are a natural balance to the hot stones and can reduce pain and inflammation effectively.

What are the benefits of Hot Stone Massage Therapy? 

· It is both a massage and a therapy, relaxing, nurturing, deeply soothing

· It stimulates and rebalances all of the body's systems

· Hot Stones encourage deep and effective breathing

· Hot Stones stimulate and rebalance the digestive system and the elimination system

· Reduces fatigue and increases energy levels

· Heat helps to calm the nervous system reducing the symptoms of stress and tension

· Basalt is an igneous rock and can dissipate anger

· The heat from the stones relaxes and penetrates the deeper soft tissues and muscular structures; relieving pain in tight, sore, aching muscles

· Hot stones work on 4 levels, rebalancing you physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually

· Lowers high blood pressure

· Improves circulation and lymphatic drainage boosting immunity

· You can increase the therapeutic benefits of Hot Stone therapy with Cold stones

· Clients who prefer a lighter, gentle massage with the added benefits of heat can experience Hot Stone massage

· Hot stone massage therapy can produce a deeper and more intense massage, equivalent to 2-3 manual massage treatments

What does Hot Stone Massage Therapy involve?

Hot Stone therapy is unique and uses smooth basalt stones heated to between 45-60 degrees in a special heater.  The stones are both laid on the body and are also used with oils as vital massage tools producing a deeply penetrating pressure and heat.

The basalt stones are revered for their naturally holistic properties which work on many levels; stimulating, yet calming the body's systems simultaneously, whilst working on the mental, emotional and spiritual levels. 

In certain cases cold stones may also be used to help with muscular injuries, to reduce inflammation or tone muscles which can be helpful when losing weight.  The application of cold stones stimulates the nervous system causing the blood vessels to contract and increases lymph flow which helps to remove toxins, whilst giving your immune system a welcome boost.

What are the benefits of Cold Stones?

· Cold marble stones can be used for injuries

· They are particularly good for the immune system offering it a welcome boost

· Chilled marble stones are powerful and assist in decongesting and pushing fluid and wastes from overworked, inflamed, tense muscular tissues which interrupt the pain- spasm-pain cycle

· After working with the heated stones, the chilled marbles stones move fluids effectively within the body. This is therapeutic and healing due to the alternate constriction and dilation of the blood vessels

· In massage, cold marble stones do not desensitise the skin, as ice can

· Cold challenges the body, toning and strengthening many of the body's systems an excellent treatment to boost your immunity and tone muscles

Feel deeply relaxed, refreshed and ready to face the world

Hot Stone Massage is a treatment that you truly deserve!!

How to Beat the Winter Blues with Acupuncture!

Right about the time mid-January comes around, the ‘winter blues’ seem to settle in, and there are many ways in which this can come into effect.  Maybe it becomes harder for you to emerge each morning from your warm bed and get ready for the day in the cold and darkness.  Maybe coming home to lie down on the couch with your recent Netflix obsession after the work day becomes the preferred choice over going to the gym or taking some sort of fitness class.  Perhaps you notice yourself more fatigued than usual as you go throughout your day, no matter how much caffeine you consume.  Maybe you just feel unmotivated and sleeping the day away sounds like a better idea than anything else…

However it is that your ‘winter blues’ may be taking over, here at Body Awareness Center, we invite you to remedy with traditional Chinese acupuncture to help get you up and over that winter slump! Rather than turning to over the counter solutions or giving in to the couch as a means to beat or suppress your winter slump, maybe trying something new this year will be the difference in your feeling better.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), everything is made up of opposing forces known as yin and yang.  Yang includes brightness, warmth and activity.  Yin includes darkness, cold and inactivity or rest.   In TCM, each season is either more yin or more yang and each season corresponds with one of the major organs in our bodies.  The winter season is yin and corresponds to the Kidney.  In winter we naturally feel the need to curl up, stay warm and get lots of rest.  Our Kidney system is responsible for providing us with our vital qi, or energy.  Our bodies work very hard and use lots of energy to keep us nice and warm, but that leaves us lacking in energy for all the other things we still need to get done each day. 

In these long winter months, it is especially important to work to boost our qi and keep it moving.  In the case of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or depression (or the ‘winter blues’) our qi is not in balance.  Most often, we are experiencing a deficiency of qi that may result in low energy, fatigue, appetite changes and a number of other issues.  Studies have shown that acupuncture is beneficial in the treatment of depression¹.  In TCM, each patient is treated based on his or her individual pattern rather than simply a symptom(s).  Acupuncture treatments and herbal therapies for the treatment of SAD are specific to each patient, but would most likely be focused on increasing a persons’ vital qi while at the same time ensuring the body’s qi is balanced and flowing smoothly throughout the body.  It can also be really helpful to do gentle exercises and eat warming and nourishing foods in order to help the body remain in balance.  

Consider that Body Awareness Center’s purpose is to help others find optimal health, balance and vitality.  The onset of the ‘winter blues’ is a certainly a disruption in our own health, balance and vitality.  We offer many services to help you on your journey to your own body awareness.  Our acupuncturist is here to help you develop a treatment plan to bring balance back into your life, or maybe find it for the very first time.

Notes

1. Pedersen, T (2013) Acupuncture Works Just as Well as Counseling for Depression;

  http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/09/28/acupuncture-works-just-as-well-as-psychotherapy-for-depression/60043.html

Body Awareness Center – Changing the Paradigm on Massage and Bodywork as Health Care

Wouldn’t it be great if massage therapy was covered by insurance?  Do you hesitate to book massage or bodywork because you fear you can’t cover the costs?  Imagine if you saw a massage therapist as regularly as you might like to.  Massage therapy treatment needs to be regular in order to be effective.  Coming to see your therapist once every two months or so isn’t going to benefit you in the long run.  Sure, you feel great after leaving your massage, but how long does that great feeling last?  How long until you notice your body is in the exact same place it was before?  Just like any exercise or fitness regimen, massage therapy needs to be repeated regularly in order to reap the results. 

Here at Body Awareness Center we see ourselves as healthcare professionals.  All of the wellness employees we have on staff are experts in their fields. We do our very best to make our top of the line healthcare available to you at a reasonable price. Wondering about our policy on tipping? Well, we’d prefer if you’d save those extra ten dollars or so for your next massage visit.  Try to think of our center as a place of health care, and not just a spa.  Just as you probably wouldn’t even consider tipping a chiropractor, a physical therapist, or your dentist, consider the same ideas when you come into Body Awareness Center for massage, bodywork or detoxification.  

Emerging evidence continues to show that massage therapy is an effective method to treat a number of medical conditions.  An increasing number of substance abuse and rehabilitation centers are including massage therapy as part of their recovery regimen. Children with symptoms of ADHD are being treated with massage therapy to help reinforce muscular stimulation, as a common cause of the development of ADHD is a prolonged period of confinement during infancy or early childhood. Research has also shown that massage therapy can boost immune function in women with breast cancer, improves symptoms in children with asthma and can help premature babies gain weight.  These are just a few of the many medical and healthcare related benefits to massage therapy.  More money is being put towards medical research involving the benefits of massage therapy, as doctors are continuing to recommend their patients to massage therapists because of the limitations these traditional doctors have in treating the symptoms of pain.  The increase of medical research on massage therapy will hopefully lead to insurance coverage of massage treatments.  

So, considering all of these ideas and factual evidence, try to look at massage therapy in a new light, one of healthcare, and encourage your friends and family to see that same light.  With your help, we can change the paradigm of massage therapy being commonly viewed as a luxurious spa treatment, and more like an effective form of health care. 

Sources (cnn.com, foxnews.com, amta.com)