Stone therapy massage involves the application of warm basalt stones and cool sedimentary stones of different shapes and sizes, and temperatures, to key points on the body, in order to balance ‘chakra’.

Creating a sense of warmth and comfort, the heat from a stone therapy massage relaxes the muscles allowing greater manipulation and a massage of deeper intensity.

How does Stone Therapy Massage Work?

Different stones serve different purposes.
Seven chakra stones are used for bringing balance to chakra centers. Some are used for massage and layouts, and others are used as palm rests.

To elicit mental and physical healing, stones are heated to varying temperatures between 125 – 135 degrees Fahrenheit and placed in various positions on the body.

Warm basalt stones are used for deep penetration to loosen and sooth tightened, congested muscles. Cool marble stones are used to reduce inflammation creating a rejuvenating and balanced treatment.

Many therapists will use stone massage therapy in conjunction with other massage treatments such as trigger point therapy or aromatherapy.

The use of different massage techniques, together with the stones, produces energy and releases areas of blockage.

The alternate use of hot and cold stones encourages healing. Hot stones ease stiffness and encourage circulation and help to move waste materials through the body.

Cold stones reduce inflammation and swelling. They cause blood vessels to constrict, stimulate the nervous system and draw waste along the body.

The corresponding increase in lymph flow ensures the effective removal of waste material from the body.

The Benefits of Stone Massage Therapy

Stone therapy massage relieves stress, anxiety and tension. It is deeply relaxing and improves poor circulation, is effective for reducing muscular aches, pains, strains and sprains. Other benefits include:

o detoxifies physically and energetically

o tones and enhances tissue repair

o soothes and decongests the body

o relaxes and rejuvenates

o leaves you feeling grounded, balanced, and revitalized

What Happens During a Stone Therapy Massage Session?

You will be asked to lie on a towel covering a variety of flat hot and cold stones that trace the spine. Specific oils are applied gently to the skin before the therapist begins to glide the hot stones across the meridian lines.

Therapists start at the feet and glide the stones in a ritualistic manner over the body. Stones are cradled in the palms and nestled in the toes balancing and aligning energy, sending out healing properties and reducing stress.

Booking a Stone Therapy Massage Treatment

Stone Therapy Massage is very popular and widely available with many practitioners of other massage therapies, using stones in their practice.

Just one treatment allows you to feel completely at peace with yourself and your surroundings.

Described as the ultimate journey for mind, body and soul, stone therapy massage is pure decadence and a real indulgence that you definitely deserve!

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They are all ailments with symptoms that can be treated or lessened by the correct applications of massage therapy!

Once considered to be an “alternative” medicine practice, working much like a placebo drug, massage therapy is continuing to acquire legitimacy. It is now regarded as a solution to a vast array of medical problems and symptoms. This has resulted in an increased demand for trained therapists. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that jobs in this field will increase faster than average among all occupations through the year 2016. Some of these new jobs will be in medical clinics, health spas, and nursing homes. Other professionals will begin their own practices, and will be able to look forward to setting their own hours.

Massage has enjoyed a long history as a treatment for ills. For example, ancient Egyptian and Chinese civilizations used this technique to treat ailments, and it was popular among ancient Greeks and Romans, as well. This form of therapy did not become popular in the United States until the 19th century, however — and even then, was regarded as charlatan medicine in some circles. After that point, new medical advancements and better understandings of the mind-body connection allowed this practice to gain in legitimacy, until it was recognized as a valid treatment for a number of conditions.

Several uses of massage therapy

Because massage works to manipulate muscle groups and ease tensions, aches, and pains, it can work as a treatment for anxiety and general irritability. Anxiety is often accompanied by the release of cortisol in the body, causing sufferers to feel physically out-of-sorts. This can lead to irritability – and the process works the other way, with irritability begetting anxiety. By relieving feelings of tension and stress, massage therapy helps patients to feel better all over. As stress levels decline, so, too do cortisol levels, allowing patients who seek massage therapy to feel better all over.

This therapy can also work to treat mild to moderate depression. Depression has many causes; some are organic and some are environmental. Daily life stressors, as well as major life events, such as job change or a death in the family, can exacerbate depression and its symptoms. Massage therapy helps depression sufferers to relax, so they can better sort out their thoughts and feelings. While this treatment is by no means a cure for depression, it can help patients calm down and regain a sense of control over their feelings, moods, and even lives. The immediate results — lower anxiety levels, and improved sleeping and eating patterns – help patients to feel hopeful again.

Digestive disorders are another reason why patients might seek massage to feel better. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) — which causes abdominal pain and irregular bowel patterns involving constipation and diarrhea — is an ailment comprised of physical and psychosomatic components. While some symptoms can be controlled by diet or by medication administered during an attack, this illness, too, can be exacerbated by stress, anxiety, and tension. Massage enables IBS patients to relax, leading some to see a reduction in painful and inconvenient symptoms.

Conditions common to adult Americans in the 21st century include high blood pressure and adult-onset, or Type 2 diabetes. While these sorts of conditions are not immediately fatal, they can cause serious secondary complications as affected patients age. High blood pressure and diabetic symptoms, both, are affected by stress levels, which massage therapy can effectively reduce. In the diabetic patient with circulatory problems, massage can also help to restore proper blood flow — however, care must be taken not to harm the patient further by using impatient or incorrect massage strokes. The treatment of diabetic circulatory problems is but one example of why patients with chronic medical conditions usually require the approval of a physician before undergoing massage therapy treatments.

Athletes, pregnant women, and the elderly can all also benefit from this therapu. Pregnancy massage is a specialized category of massage, and can be beneficial in reducing some of the uncomfortable side effects of pregnancy, such as mood swings, hip pains, and soft-tissue swelling. Care must be taken not to injure the woman or upset her circulation, so this type of massage is best left to a trained professional. Elderly persons often seek massage therapy for arthritis, or aging-related aches and pains. These patients can be frail, and are more likely than younger patients to suffer from other medical conditions and complications, so therapy for this population should only be performed by professionals skilled in elder treatments.

Massage for athletes is similar in that it must be performed to relieve the stress and pain of sprains, contusions, and other injuries — without making present injuries worse. This therapy for athletes can be performed in tandem with treatment by an athletic trainer, orthopedic specialist, sports medicine physician, or physical therapist. It might be recommended as part of a long-term care strategy for athletes suffering from recurring injuries or even performance anxiety. Sometimes, massage therapists interested in working with athletes train concurrently in sports medicine or sports rehabilitation therapy specialties.

Massage has come a long way since its ancient roots and 19th century status in America. Now recognized as a legitimate solution to physical and psychological ailments, it is a career field showing tremendous promise.

Located in Cerritos, California, within the Los Angeles County area, Fremont College has a 10-month diploma program providing training for the massage therapy certificate [http://www.fremont.edu/programs/massage-therapy.htm] and a two-year AS degree program in sports and rehabilitation therapy [http://www.fremont.edu/programs/sports-and-rehabilitation-therapy.htm]. The Fremont College Web site has more information about these programs, and other professional programs of study.

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Here are some of the benefits of massage therapy:

The massage therapy is one of the oldest types of therapies used to soothe and rejuvenate the human body. It is also said that it has the ability to cure some of the serious ailments. Massage therapy can be defined as an amazing tool for calming and relaxing the body. However, it does more than just to provide a soothing experience or pleasant sensation on the skin.

One of the major benefits of the massage therapy is that it works on the soft tissues of the body including ligaments, muscles and tendons. The therapy is also known to enhance to the muscle tone. The practice also alleviates blood pressure, blood circulation, heart rate and enhances the lymph flow. One of the basic benefits that can be availed via the massage therapy is that it aids the lymphatic system. Experts in this field also believe that massage is capable of eliminating the waste and harmful toxins from the body.

There are several other benefits of massage therapy including the following:

a) Increases the natural painkillers of the body; endorphins.

b) Enhances the sense of wellbeing.

c) Improves breathing and soothes the body.

d) Enhances relaxation.

e) Heals the mind and body.

f) Alleviate stiffness, pain and tension.

One of the major benefits of massage therapy is the elimination of stress and pain in the body. With the kind of lifestyle we lead these days, it is very common to feel extreme stress and pain. Stress has many adverse effects on the body. It can result in to lowered immunity and also develop certain types of physical and mental illness.

Muscle tension is one of the most common problems faced by people due to stress. This results in sore neck, headaches and backache. Depression, anxiety and problems related to digestion, asthma and period pain are also other symptoms of stress.

A massage therapy can minimize these problems. With regular treatment and courses from a professional massage therapist, one can easily cope up with these problems and even eliminate them from life. It is said that a massage therapy has a great effect on the mind. It helps in enhancing the blood and hormones circulation of the body. Particularly, the therapy enhances the circulation of the “feel good” hormones in your body and affects the way you think.

A good massage therapy can also reduce cramps via reducing the involuntary contraction of muscles. It enhances the efficiency of the digestive system and reduces abdominal pain caused by digestive problems. The therapy has the potential to reduce sinus pain via enhancing the drainage of fluid from the face, thereby minimizing the pressure build up.

http://www.AboutMassages.com brings you the latest on massage. Massages are gaining in popularity, and we want to bring you up to date information! Be sure to check out our latest information page on massage therapy.

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