Stress, Anxiety, & Massage

Why get a massage? According to a survey conducted by the American Massage Therapy Association, 28% of Americans who get a massage do so for relaxation and stress reduction.

That’s a lot of people in the US who feel pretty good about how massage helps them manage their stress. But warm fuzzies aside, what exactly do we know about massage and how it relates to stress and anxiety? And what does the research have to say about that?


What is Stress?

Stress is your body’s response to demanding circumstances. Working long hours? You’re probably stressed. Studying for a big exam? Definitely stressful. Toddler throwing a tantrum? Probably stressful for both of you.


Too Much Stress?

When stressed, your blood pressure goes up. Your breathing and heart rate increase. You may feel agitated and distracted. This is useful if you’re a prey animal that needs to flee for its life. Less useful if your stress the result of a loved one in need of patience and comfort.

When exposed to occasional stress, we can usually diffuse it and recover relatively quickly. When stress becomes a chronic condition, health problems can result.


What is Anxiety?

Anxiety, on the other hand, isn’t necessarily a reaction to circumstances. Most often, it’s related to anticipated future or potential stress.

As with stress, anxiety isn’t necessarily an immediate health problem, although it’s unpleasant. Feeling a bit anxious about an exam, the birth of a baby, or a big presentation can give you a push to prepare as best you can.


Too Much Anxiety?

Anxiety becomes unhelpful when it is overwhelming, requiring you to focus all your energy on surviving your immediate feelings rather than addressing their roots. Pacing, nail biting, trembling, and vomiting are signs that anxiety is veering into unhelpful territory. Test anxiety, social anxiety, and decision anxiety are all common forms of anxiety.

Anxiety disorder is the general term for chronic, excessive anxiety in response to everyday situations. Anxiety disorders include:

  • Generalized anxiety disorder: excessive anxiety in general.
  • Social anxiety disorder: anxiety disorder related to interacting with others.
  • Separation anxiety disorder: anxiety disorder related to separation from specific people, often parents or caregivers.
  • Phobias: subset of anxiety disorders characterized by persistent fear of a specific thing.
  • Panic disorder: anxiety disorder characterized by reoccurring panic attacks.

Many people discover that they have more than one type of anxiety disorder. Others deal with anxiety combined with depression, PTDS, eating disorders, alcoholism, or substance abuse. While stress and anxiety are more general terms that you can probably identify in yourself, anxiety disorders can only be diagnosed by a physician.

Massage & Stress Studies

Stress: Stress levels are largely subjective. However, studies focused on pain, sleep, and other outcomes often find that patients report decreased stress levels as a major benefit of massage therap.

In one study on pain in acute care settings, more than half of the patients mentioned relaxation in their survey responses. One patient described the receiving massage as “very helpful, soothing, comforting, and relaxing.” A notable result, considering the stress of hospitalization. Patients and nurses also reported improved emotional well-being and sleep – both good indicators of stress reduction.

Massage & Anxiety Studies

Anxiety: Most studies done on massage and anxiety have focused on specific populations. One study found significant improvement in both long term and immediate anxiety in children with cancer and blood diseases who received Swedish massage.

Another measured the physiological responses to stress (blood pressure and pulse) in hospitalized children and found similar results. Cardiac care patients were the focus of another study. Again, massage was helpful in reducing anxiety. Still, larger and broader studies on the matter still need to be done.

Massage & Anxiety Disorder Studies

There have been relatively few studies on massage therapy for anxiety disorders specifically. Most studies that have been done are generally small and lacking good control groups. One randomized controlled trial found that massage therapy was significantly helpful for people with generalized anxiety disorder, but no more so than other relaxation techniques.

This study only measured improvement over multiple weeks, and not feelings of anxiety in the short term, before and after treatments. Because this study didn’t have a no-treatment control group, they weren’t able to state whether all three were equally effective or equally ineffective.

What does all this mean?

People regularly feel that massage helps reduce their stress and anxiety. There are also other techniques, such as Reiki, that seem to be helpful to varying degrees, depending on the situation and the person.

This is helpful to know, because not everyone enjoys massage. For some, touch itself can be a source of stress and anxiety. Therefore, it’s helpful to know that there are other complementary therapies available that also create positive results.

Stress and anxiety are closely tied to pain, sleep, and other factors. Reducing pain reduces stress levels. Reducing stress levels can also reduce pain. Improving sleep can impact both pain and stress, and vice versa. Does massage therapy work primarily through either pain or stress reduction, or does it impact both equally? This is an area for further study.

Massage therapy is a fairly safe way to manage stress and anxiety. With relatively few drug interactions and a very low chance for injury, massage therapy can be helpful to a wide variety of people dealing with stress and anxiety in different situations. From the smallest infants to athletes to people in hospice, there are few who could not benefit from massage therapy.

There is a lot more to learn. While there is a lot of research on massage for pain, massage for anxiety (and especially massage for anxiety disorders) has less research to back it up. It will take time and money before a large body of knowledge has been built up.

If you’re feeling stressed or anxious, massage therapy is worth trying. The evidence is still rolling in, but what we have is promising. Are you ready to give it a try? Book your next massage today. Click HERE to book now.

Can Massage Help Your Headache?

“This project is such a headache!”

They’re so common that the term has become synonymous with an annoyance, but what are headaches, really? And can massage therapy really help?

Different types, different causes.

We all know a headache when we feel it. It’s a pain in the head. However, not all headaches are created equal.

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache. Pain occurs on both sides of the head without other symptoms. The pain can range from very mild to severe.

Migraine headaches are often pulsing, and can be accompanied by nausea, dizziness, sensitivity to light and sound, and hallucinations. Some people experience migraines only rarely, while other people experience them on an almost daily basis.

Cluster headaches are less common. Generally experienced as severe pain around one eye, they occur in clusters over a period of time. Long periods of no symptoms may follow.

Secondary headaches are not conditions themselves, but are symptoms of other conditions. These conditions can be as everyday as a sinus infection. Or, they can be more serious, like traumatic brain injury or meningitis. Secondary headaches can be managed, however, it’s important to focus on getting the appropriate medical treatment for the underlying condition.

Headaches and massage

The Good News: 

Tension headaches, the type of headaches people are most likely to experience, seem to respond well to massage therapy. Massage helps reduce pain in the moment. Regular massage therapy appears to increase the time between headaches for those who experience them on a chronic basis. This could be a result of helping to manage stress. It could also be underlying mechanical issues that result in headaches. There’s no solid science yet on precisely why massage helps, only that it does.

More Good News: 

It’s no surprise that people who experience regular headaches are also more likely to experience high levels of stress. Not to mention, depression and anxiety. Studies have found that massage can help people who live with chronic headaches, as well as stress and anxiety.

Some people with secondary headaches can also benefit from massage. People with fibromyalgia related headaches experience both pain and stress relief with regular massage therapy. More gentle massage may be needed during a flare-up, but can provide relief for both headaches and body aches.

The Bad News: 

Massage therapy is wonderful and often helpful, but it’s not a cure for headaches. Some people just need a bit of rest or a drink of water (dehydration is a surprisingly common headache cause). Other people continue to experience headaches all their lives. Unfortunately, migraines triggered by things like foods or hormonal changes probably won’t see an impact from massage.

The Worse News: 

There are some times when getting a massage for headaches isn’t just unhelpful, it’s actually dangerous. Most often, this is related to secondary headaches.

There are some times when getting a massage for headaches isn’t just unhelpful, it’s actually dangerous. Most often, this is related to secondary headaches.

The aches caused by a fever may make you feel like massage would be wonderful. However, it’s not a good idea to overtax a body already working hard to fight an infection. Then, there is the risk of spreading the illness to your massage therapist and others. Headaches resulting from a recent head, neck, or back injury could also be made worse by a well-meaning massage therapist.

It’s important to seek the opinion of a physician when the pain may be the result of illness or injury. Start by receiving appropriate care for the issue causing the headache. Along the way, you can ask them whether or not massage is a good idea. Safe is always better than sorry

Headaches can be a real, well… headache. But there’s help.

A change of environment may help. If you have a headache and have been hunched over a computer for hours, try a stretch. A quick walk outside or a brief nap can help with a headache caused by eye strain. If you haven’t eaten or drunk anything all day, do that. It’s not uncommon to get busy and distracted and forget basic self-care.

If it’s safe to take them, medications like ibuprofen or aspirin can be helpful in treating a headache. Sometimes caffeine helps. Strong or chronic headaches may require prescription medication.

And then there’s massage therapy, of course. It’s not a magical cure-all, but for many people, it really does help manage the pain and stress of headaches. Are you one of them? Schedule your next massage, and let’s find out together.

Can You Avoid a Wrinkle in Time?

You probably have a rough idea of where wrinkles come from… laugh lines, frown lines, decreased skin elasticity as we age… but you may not consider one of the key contributing elements—the muscles underneath.

Wrinkles tend to develop where muscles pull on the skin, and muscle tension in our face, from stress, tension, even laughing and smiling a lot, can create the holding patterns that lead to wrinkles. Factor in the loss of elasticity over time and voila! Wrinkles!

Facial massage helps soften tight muscles in the face, which in turn may help reduce the appearance of wrinkles. In addition, massage improves circulation to your skin, which you know is good for you! Other benefits of facial massage include easing headaches and sinus pain.

I tend to include facial massage in most sessions, but let me know if you want me to be sure to include it in yours! Just contact me to schedule, or book your appointment online!

Be Well, 
Tricia

Like Birch Trees, We Grow

leaf-3341386_1920As I have continued the forward momentum of Birch Tree Wellness, I have been learning about the kinds of things my clients are looking for out of massage. The thing I see the most is chronic pain of one sort or another.

For many people it’s stress related. It may be unforgiving jobs, family or life stress. Sometimes the chronic pain comes from physical activity or the lack thereof, as in demanding desk jobs. Other times, it’s chronic pain associated with mental or emotional distress.

What Does All That Mean?

All of this has led me to become interested in specializing in chronic pain. Going forward, I’ll be looking into continuing education related to chronic pain, new muscle release techniques, and the effects of psychology on the human body. Some of the modalities I’ll be adding in the future include Spontaneous Muscle Release Therapy (SMRT)  a positional release modality that interrupts pain signals in the body quickly and painlessly, and CranioSacral Therapy (CST) – a form of bodywork using gentle touch release restrictions in the soft tissues that surround the central nervous system.
Here is some information about the programs I’m looking at, if you would like to learn more:

What’s Next?

IMG_8960In the process of brainstorming all of these ideas, one of the things I’ve done is streamlined the scheduling process. In my opinion, all massage is “therapeutic” whether you just need to relax, or you really need some deep tissue work and stretching. So, now when you schedule, whether it’s online or in person, you won’t have so many types of appointments to choose from. In the scheduling system, you just choose “Therapeutic Massage” and how long you want the massage to be, and we’ll chat about what exactly you’re looking for. No more decision fatigue!

What About the Goodies?

The extras are still there! You can schedule a hot stone massage, add on a mini hot stone massage, aromatherapy, or a foot scrub. In addition, you can still schedule specialized appointments like Pregnancy Massage, Intuitive Bodywork, Relaxation Training, or Massage & Reiki together. The Monday Special and Ultimate Study Break are also still available at this time.

In a Nutshell

plant-3117533_1920For everyone who has been coming to Birch Tree Wellness over the last couple of years, essentially the only thing that has really changed is the name of the appointment you’re scheduling. We’ll continue with the same awesome massage therapy you’ve been getting, and as I learn new tricks, we’ll apply them where appropriate! If you have chronic pain, we’ll continue working on your chronic pain. If you are experiencing emotional or mental distress – with or without chronic pain – we’ll continue working with whatever combination of massage, Reiki, and other modalities are helping you.

Your Feedback is Welcome!

If you learn about a type of massage or other bodywork or healing modality you think I’d be interested in, feel free to send along the information! If you have more questions about any of the changes, don’t hesitate to ask them. As always, my massage practice is about all of you, my awesome clients, and what kind of wellness magic we can work together!
Be Well,
Tricia

Should I Talk During a Massage?

Your time in my office is all about you, so if you’d like to talk go right ahead. It’s important to remember, however, that this is a time for you to relax and enjoy the experience. While I don’t discourage talking, I do encourage you to relax. Just let your mind float free and enter a state of massage bliss.

In many instances, people who are nervous  may start off talking to ease their anxiety, and as the massage progresses, enter quiet states of relaxation. For others, it may be the only time you feel you have to get things off your mind, and if you need to vent, I’m okay with that!

The important thing to know is that there are times when you need to speak up. If I’m doing anything to make you uncomfortable or painful, you should let me know immediately. You should also let me know if you get too warm or too cold, if the room is too bright, or if I need to change the pressure (lighter or deeper). If something is not working for you during your massage – speak up! It’s all about you!
Be Well,
Tricia

Those Knotty Muscles: The Trapezius

trapezius illustrationFor those who don’t know me, I am an artist as well as a massage therapist, and whenever I write something about a particular muscle – like the trapezius – I look for clip art of that muscle and think to myself, “I really should just make my own muscle illustrations.”

Well, I recently got a fancy digital stylus that makes it possible to use my iPad like a sketchpad. It didn’t take me long to realize that making muscle illustrations would be a fun use of this particular technology.

That’s Nice, Now What’s This About Knotty Muscles?

Now, to get to the point… this knotty little muscle, the trapezius, also know as “the traps”. Named for it’s trapezoid shape, it covers a large portion of your back and shoulders and is the muscle you can pretty easily feel right below the surface of the skin at your upper shoulders.

This is one of the main muscles that is likely bothering you when you say your neck or shoulders ache. Because of the wide region of the body it covers, it is responsible for, or at least involved in, a lot of actions of the neck, back and shoulders. This includes shrugging your shoulders, moving your arm and shoulders backwards, and tilting your head back.

What Makes a Trapezius So Knotty?

Pain in the trapezius can result from injuries such as whiplash, carrying heavy objects, neck and shoulder tension, or poor posture. I feel like the most common source of upper trapezius pain I see is due to the tendency to scrunch our shoulders up towards our ears when we’re stressed. When we do this, those muscles contract to hold that position. After being contracted like that for a long time, the muscles tighten and can get stuck that way, tear, or develop those sticky spots we call “knots”.

physio-1778029_640How Do We Get the Knots Out?

If your traps prove to be a problem area for you, we’ll spend time working on them during your massage. We’ll work to soften, relax and lengthen them again. The trapezius has three different sections, upper, middle and lower fibers. Each section has different functions and different ways we can work on them during massage.

For the upper portion of the muscles, I’ll use a mix of massage strokes, deep pressure/compression, movement, and gentle positional release techniques. Stretching and range of motion of the arms and shoulders meant can help get them loosened up and moving again. The middle and lower portions of the trapezius are worked with massage strokes and different stretches and movements down your back, alongside your spine, and across the shoulder blades.

If you’ve got pain or tension in these areas, I can help! We can work on the trapezius and other shoulder muscles both on the massage table and in the massage chair. Even a short session can help. Contact me to schedule your appointment, and we’ll get that knotty muscles back into shape!
~Tricia

What Are "The Winter Blues"?

depression, winter blues, seasonal affective disorderMaybe you start to feel it as the days get shorter, or it really kicks in when it’s getting dark out at 4:00 in the afternoon. You might be dreading the dark, cold days of winter for more reasons than just having a lot of snow to shovel. You’re not alone. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a subtype of major depression that the National Institutes of Health estimates affects 6% of the US population, primarily those living in northern climates. Another 14% of the US adult population suffer from less severe form of seasonal mood changes, sometimes referred to as “winter blues”.
Since SAD is a form of major depression, it is important to be aware of the symptoms of depression in yourself or your loved ones. According to the Mayo Clinic, these symptoms may include:

  • Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day
  • Feeling hopeless or worthless
  • Having low energy
  • Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
  • Having problems with sleeping
  • Experiencing changes in your appetite or weight
  • Feeling sluggish or agitated
  • Having difficulty concentrating
  • Having frequent thoughts of death or suicide

Symptoms specific to winter onset SAD or “winter blues” may also include:

  • Irritability
  • Tiredness or low energy
  • Problems getting along with other people
  • Hypersensitivity to rejection
  • Heavy, “leaden” feeling in the arms or legs
  • Oversleeping
  • Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates
  • Weight gain

It’s okay to have bad days, or to feel down on occasion. However, if you’re feeling bad or experiencing these symptoms for days at a time, or if they are affecting your ability to get out and do the things you enjoy, you should talk to your doctor. This is especially important if you are experiencing changes in appetite or sleep patterns, or thoughts of suicide.

What Causes SAD?

winter depression, SAD, winter bluesWhile the exact causes of SAD or Winter Blues are not know, it’s believed that changes in the amount of sunlight can throw off your internal clock (circadian rhythm) and leave not sleeping well, or feeling tired and depressed. Reduced sunlight levels may also decrease your body’s production of serotonin, a chemical that affects mood, and melatonin, which also has a role in mood and sleep patterns.
When the weather is freezing cold or you’re snowed in by a blizzard, you’re probably also not getting enough exercise, which can decrease your energy level and add to feelings of depression. Being reluctant to leave the house may also leave you feeling like a hermit!

What Can Help?

First of all, I’m a massage therapist, not a psychologist, so please, if you are feeling depressed or suicidal, contact a professional. You can reach the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or on their website suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Next, try to get out of the house! Call a friend for lunch. Go to that party even though it seems like a lot of work to put on boots and a coat. Get out for a walk, or snowshoe, or ski. If cold weather exercise is not your thing, join a gym or go walk in the mall. Take yourself on a date to a museum or a movie.
Of course, massage therapy can help! It has been shown that massage has positive effects on the body’s chemistry. Cortisol levels, which can increase with stress, are decreased. Production of serotonin and dopamine increase, which can improve your mood and reduce feelings of depression. Massage also lowers your blood pressure and reduce chronic pain that may be affecting your sleep.
If you’re struggling with SAD or just feeling down, talk to your doctor, then consider giving regular massage a try. It’s important to take time for yourself and take care of yourself, despite (and because of) all of your responsibilities and stresses. Besides all of the chemical and physical benefits, massage just simply helps you “feel good” and can help you get through the worst of the winter blues.

Let's Talk About Stress

stress, stress relief, massage for stressAs people’s lives become more and more hectic, stress becomes an increasing presence and increasing risk to our health. Numerous surveys and studies confirm that occupational pressures and fears are far and away the leading source of stress for American adults and that these have steadily increased over the past few decades. According to one study, 80% of workers feel stress on the job, nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress and 42% say their co-workers need such help.

How Does Stress Affect Us?

Stress symptoms may be affecting your health without you even realizing it. When the body is stressed, muscles tense up reflexively, the body’s way of guarding against injury or pain, part of the fight or flight response. During sudden stress, muscles tense, then relax as soon as the stress has passed. During chronic stress, the muscles are in a nearly constant state of guardedness. Over time, with chronic stress, the body can fail to return to pre-stress conditions and cause long term strain and health problems.
When tense for long periods of time, this can lead to other stress reactions or stress related disorders. For example, tension and migraine headaches can be associated with chronic muscle tension in the head, neck and shoulders. Some research theorizes that chronic muscle tension and the related buildup of lactic acid may be a contributing factor to fibromyalgia. Stress and anxiety can affect sleep patterns and increase the risk of health problems associated with not enough sleep, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke.

Chronic Stress

It’s not necessarily what chronic stress does to the nervous system, but what continuous activation of the nervous system does to other body systems that becomes the problem. Stress triggers the nervous system’s fight or flight response. The body shifts all of its resources towards fending off the threat or fleeing it. The adrenal glands release adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones increase heart rate, respiratory rate, decrease blood flow to the arms and legs, change digestion, increase blood sugar levels, and increase the heart rate, raising blood pressure. When our bodies don’t get the chance to recover from stress, we continue to wear down our systems with the continuous production and effects of these hormones.
Physically, chronic stress and anxiety have a tendency to cause us to hunch our shoulders or roll them forward in a protective posture, leading to continually tight/shortened muscles of the neck and shoulders. Frowning, clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth causes more muscles in your face, neck and jaw to become tight and painful. Muscles that do the opposite action of these muscles, antagonists, then tend to get overly stretched/lengthened and develop “knots”/adhesions, leading to more neck, back and shoulder pain.

Massage can help!

stress, stress relief, massage for stress, hot stone massageMassage can counter the effects of stress in a number of ways. The primary type of massage I provide is called Swedish Massage. This is a relaxing style of massage with long, flowing strokes that helps to relieve pain and muscle tension. It also increases the circulation of blood and lymph and aids in the removal of metabolic wastes from your body, including the byproducts of the nervous system’s stress response.
Physically, massage helps by lengthening and relaxing those tense, irritable muscles. Relieving tension in the muscles of the head, neck, shoulders and face can reduce the occurrence of headaches and migraines. Relaxing and lengthening those shortened muscles in turn relieves the overstretching and knotting of those antagonist muscles, reducing back, neck and shoulder pain. Decreased buildup of lactic acid may also contribute to a decrease in chronic pain and related disorders.
It increases the levels of serotonin and dopamine, which can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve overall mood. Decreased anxiety and stress, along with less pain, improves your sleep. In addition, one hour of massage has a similar effect on your body as three hours of restorative sleep, and stopping the the cycle of chronic stress stops the flood of stress hormones, lowering blood sugar and blood pressure, and improving circulation and digestion.

Other things help!

Reiki

Another service that makes a great addition or alternative to massage is Reiki. Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction, relaxation, and healing based on the idea that a life force energy flows through us. If this energy is low or blocked, then we are more likely to feel stressed or ill. When the energy flow is increased and the blockages removed, we feel more positive and healthy.
A Reiki treatment helps to identify and remove the blockages and improve our energy flow. A treatment is given fully clothed, most often while laying on a massage table. It can also be given while seated, or sent from a distance. Even if you do not necessarily subscribe to the idea of life force energy, the act of receiving a Reiki treatment can be very comforting and soothing – if for no other reason than you’re actually taking time to be still and receive positive intent and attention.

Aromatherapy

stress, stress relief, aromatherapy for stress, essential oilTo enhance the benefits of a massage or reiki session, aromatherapy may also be included. Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils extracted from the roots, leaves, seeds, or blossoms of plants. These oils have been used for centuries for therapeutic purposes, as well as for cosmetic, spiritual, and hygienic uses.
Researchers are not entirely certain how aromatherapy works, but some believe that when the smell receptors in the nose communicate with the amygdala and hippocampus, the molecules of the essential oils stimulate these parts of the brain and influence physical, emotional, and mental health. For example, scientists believe that lavender stimulates activity of brain cells in the amygdala similar to the way of some sedative medications.

Some essential oils that can help with stress and anxiety:

Lavender: Antidepressant, calming, rejuvenating,  good for stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue, increased immunity
Rosemary: Good for headaches, mental fatigue, memory, antispasmodic. Rosemary is great for having in a diffuser while studying, to help you retain what you’re learning!
Clary Sage: Antidepressant, anti-anxiety, uplifting.
Sandalwood: Antidepressant, good for nervous tension, stress, anxiety, depression. Sandalwood trees have been over harvested and the oil is expensive, but you don’t need to use much more than a drop at a time to experience it.
Ylang-Ylang: Antidepressant, sedative, euphoric, calming, hypotensive (reduce blood pressure), (also believed to be an aphrodisiac, if you’re interested)
You can keep a bottle of your favorite oil or blend of oils on hand to just take a sniff whenever you need a pick me up. You can put a few drops into an aromatherapy diffuser, or wear it in a specially designed necklace. They can be added to carrier oils such as grapeseed, almond, or olive oil or natural lotions to apply to the skin. When I use essential oils during a massage, I will either use them in a diffuser to lightly scent the room, or put them into your massage lotion, depending on the desired effect.
So, this is all to say, ideally we should do what we can to avoid stress in the first place, but chances are everyone here has experienced stress more than they should. I am here to help, whether you want a good old fashioned relaxation massage, a more therapeutic massage to work out particular problem areas, or you would like to try adding reiki or essential oils to your stress therapy.