stress

Have you ever experienced:  ???

• sleep disturbance
• muscle aches/pains
• headaches
• gastrointestinal disturbances
• fatigue
• nervousness/anxiety
• changes in eating habits
• loss of enthusiasm/energy

These are all common symptoms that can accompany stress. (However, these can also be due to other medical/psychological conditions, not necessarily stress alone.)


There are 2 types of stress - eustress (the good kind - which a lot of people are not aware of) and disstress (the not so good kind).
Eustress is motivational and helps us focus our energy on the task at hand, which is perceived as within our coping abilities. It generally feels exciting, it is short term and improves performance. Having a baby, moving/buying a house, getting a raise/promotion, holidays, vacations, and retirement are all examples of eustress (among many others). Day to day tasks and decisions in life are also part of what provides eustress. 
Distress on the other hand, is obviously negative. (Distress is what most people associate with the word 'stress', it has a pretty downbeat implication for most). It results in the unpleasant feelings of anxiety and concern and is perceived as being outside of our coping abilities. It will often lead to physical and mental troubles. Death of a loved one, divorce/separation, financial issues, conflicts in relationships, unemployment, legal issues are all general and common examples of distress.


Now, before I can get into how massage can help alleviate stress symptoms, I need to describe how they come about.
The Peripheral Nervous System is the connection between our brain and our body. It is divided into the autonomic nervous system (automatic functions) and somatic nervous system(consciously controlled functions). sympathetic and parasympathetic systems then branch from the autonomic nervous system. 
Everyone has heard of the fight/flight response - it is the sympathetic nervous system that controls this. As soon as we find ourselves up against an overwhelming obstacle or a threat it is our fight or flight response that kicks into action.
Since the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) contains many branches and nerves that go throughout our entire body, we develop a full-body physical reaction to the stressor we are facing. From our sweat glands to pupils, our body prepares to either fight or flee.
The release of adrenaline will result in increased heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, sugar break down for energy and decreases in things such as digestion, urination and sexual functioning. 

G.A.S. or General Adaptation Syndrome is the normal stress response we go through. It is divided into 3 phases: 

• Alarm Phase: occurs right away in response to a stressful situation. It results in the release of adrenaline hormones from the adrenal glands. Cortisol, another stress hormone is also released here.
• Resistance Phase: if the stressor does not go away, Cortisol will take over for adrenaline. It has slower and longer lasting effects on the body, allowing it to maintain its resistance to stress.
• Exhaustion: Prolonged exposure to the stressor results in continuous cortisol release from the adrenal glands. This will then lead to physical issues.

Cortisol is an important and helpful hormone in the stress response however, it is important to activate the body's relaxation response in order to allow our bodily functions to return to normal (a state called homeostasis). Unfortunately with all of the demands placed on us in this high-stress culture we live in, the stress response is activated so often that we fall into a state of chronic stress.


During the exhaustion phase (chronic stress) the continued presence of cortisol can lead to problems such as:

•                 Impaired cognitive performance
•                         Suppressed thyroid function
•                         Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
•                         Decreased bone density
•                         Decrease in muscle tissue
•                         High blood pressure
•                         Lowered immune and inflammatory responses in the body
•             Slowed healing processes
•                         Increased abdominal fat (can increase the risk of high cholesterol)

After the exhaustion phase comes burn out, otherwise known as adrenal insufficiency. This is a result of low-cortisol levels in the body leading to physical and mental symptoms. The adrenal glands become exhausted from the continuous release of cortisol into the body since the stressor never went away, and so, is now unable to produce sufficient amounts of cortisol for what the body requires.  
Low blood sugar, low blood pressure, low temperature, depression, joint pain and allergies can result from low cortisol levels. The thyroid gland and the adrenal glands share a close relationship in the body so you can often see affects such as hypothyroidism secondary to adrenal insufficiency.


Now, how does massage affect the nervous system, and better yet, how can massage alleviate the signs and symptoms of chronic stress?


Massage Therapy activates the parasympathetic nervous system. This is our "rest and digest" system, the direct antagonist to the fight/flight response. By activating this system it literally shuts down the other because they cannot work at the same time. So, by reducing the sympathetic tone of the body, Massage Therapy is able to reduce cortisol secretion thereby reducing the symptoms resulting from these increased cortisol levels. It can also:

•      Stimulate the release of endorphins (the feel-good hormone) helping to alleviate muscle and joint pain as well as feelings of depression and anxiety.
•     Increased immune functioning will occur, facilitating faster healing processes and protection against disease as T cell counts can be elevated.
•     Increases in seratonin and dopamine will help improve sleep which will also reflexively boost the immune system and reduce fatigue and feelings of depression. 
•     The manual manipulation of the tissues provided by Massage Therapy will help cleanse the tissues of waste products and toxins that have built up due to reduced functioning of the excretory organs such as the kidneys, thus reducing pain and increasing homeostatic balance.
•     Stimulating the parasympathetic system will result in healthy gastrointestinal functioning, increasing appetite and digestion along with facilitating waste removal to reduce toxins in the body. 

Massage Therapy is a very powerful tool that we can utilize in order to reduce our stress. This will give us the benefit of reduced pain, greater immune function, better physical and mental health and most importantly, a far greater ability to deal with our stress in a healthier way. It is that vital break that our bodies needs in order to recuperate and restore from the prolonged states of stress that we subject ourselves to.
Some Therapies to try are: Cranial Sacral, Hot Stone Therapy, Lymphatic Drainage, Reflexology or just a good 1 hour relaxation massage!

My first-ever blog

This is all brand new to me. I thought starting a blog that has anything and everything to do with Massage Therapy would not only be beneficial for my clients; allowing you to understand more about your own body and how massage therapy can facilitate healing on a physical level as well as a mental one. But, it will also be extremely beneficial for myself. It will keep my mind refreshed on all of the information I have learned throughout my education along with keeping me up to date on all the new research that is continuously being done in the world of health care. Massage Therapy is forever changing and developing, and how can it not be? The body is such an intricate and complex organism, something that we still do not fully comprehend. I do not believe that our bodies are physically evolving but rather, it is our understanding of the body that evolves as research uncovers new information. These realizations then allow us to see the body, and its overwhelming capabilities, in a new light and a new appreciation.
So, where to start? I figure, because I am in the process of opening my own business - and not to mention that it affects every individual, children not exempt - Stress.