Reducing Headache tension with the use of Massage Therapy

Have you ever placed your hands on your tummy and rub your belly to ease the pain as a child? or even perhaps during times of a headache we organically place our fingertips and apply pressure to our temples and start rubbing in a circular movement or just simply applied pressure and held the area to promote healing and release. Naturally these are ways we know in our DNA to express feelings of how to overcome pain naturally through our touch.

                With seasons changing and allergies on the rise and possibly stress or fatigue and dehydration, we are at risk of headache and massage therapy can help. I suffer from pollen and my immune system is working very hard in the peaks of spring when everything is in bloom, and with that may bring on a headache, so I make an effort to book in for self care and get massage therapy and tell the RMT about my history with seasonal allergies and with congestion when my immune system is at work.

                What relieves it? some essential oils and manipulation of the muscles and fascia that need some relief when so tight. So what I do? I go in and allow the therapist to work away on some of the pressure points of the neck muscles and occipital points and the sinus region with the relief of pressure points in the temples and along the nose and eyebrows. These little points of release feel amazing and relaxing and you get an instant release of pressure or a chance to breathe better expecially if you have been laying in prone position for a few min in the treatment. A nice way to finish the treatment for an overal time of 20 min of getting the neck muscles loosened up along with the scalp and face brings a tremendous relief of pressure and sense of peace of letting go of any unwanted tension in the body. If there is time, sometimes I would ask to have him or her to work on my feet  to finish the treatment to relieve any other congestion in the body along with sinus relief and headach relief, also known as reflexology. When the treatment is over I make sure to hydrate and stay hydrated through the day. Hydration is key when you know you are on the go!

Amelia Seaton-Segura, RMT practices at Family First Chiropractic, 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer, Alberta.  403-347-3261. www.family1stchiro.ca.

How the feet mirror the body

Have you tried Reflexology as the seasons change? As we fast approach the winter months come in for a treatment and get reflexology done at our clinic.

                From all the hiking and wearing cute flat shoes or sandles it would be a wise idea to have your feet pampered by releasing tension, clearing blockages and help the body to heal many malfunctions. Not only will your feet feel light as you step on out of the clinic, your overall well being will feel lifted and restored.

                Reflexology teaches that every organ and gland depends for its survival on the ability to contract and relax. When an obstacle is placed in an energy channel, for example when acid crystals, waste products or unused calcium deposits form on the delicate nerve endings of the feet, the energy flow is impeded and the organ it serves is then adversely affected. Obstructions  in the energy lines and fields cause pain to be registered and, in certain condtions, create limitations in motion and functions, for example stiff neck or sore back. Energy blockage also interferes with blood circulation and this is usually first noticed in the extremities. Hands may become stiff, cold and often painful. Waste products accumulate at the lowest point of gravity, and the reflexologist can feel them clearly when working on the feet.

42 Erickson Drive, Red Deer www.family1stchiro.ca 403-347-3261.