Archive for May, 2010

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Massage Therapy For Neck Pain Relief

Friday, May 21st, 2010

Neck pain is one of the common ailments these days. Some of the common causes of neck pain are improper sleeping postures and jobs that involve continuous writing work or working on a computer for hours together. Sometimes, even leisure activities can cause pain in neck. Accidents which may cause a sudden jolt to your neck, also referred to as whiplash, can also cause pain in the neck. Sudden jerks while doing routine exercises in the gym can also affect your neck. Neck pain is accompanied by stiffened muscles and poor blood circulation in the neck area.

The best way to avoid neck pain is to practice stretching often during your routine work and improve your posture while sleeping. Despite taking all the precautions, if you happen to suffer from neck pain, you might like to opt for massage therapy for obtaining relief from the pain instead of going for the usual medicinal treatment. Massage therapy for pain management is becoming increasingly popular. Not only do you get relief from the pain, you also feel mentally relaxed after undergoing massage therapy.

Here are some of the various types and techniques of massage therapy to relieve neck pain:

  • Swedish massage: The Swedish massage technique helps relieve the muscular tension in the neck. In this technique, mild pressure is applied on the painful region to relieve the soreness. The curative effects of Swedish massage are gradual.
  • Deep tissue massage: Deep tissue massage involves the application of intense pressure on the neck. It can be performed along with Swedish massage.
  • Trigger point massage: Trigger point massage is a massaging technique that involves the exertion of steady pressure on the neck muscles to release tension and relieve spasms in the neck, thereby curing neck pain.
  • Shiatsu: Shiatsu is a Japanese massaging technique which involves the exertion of pressure due to the body weight of the practitioner. This technique is a kind of acupressure therapy which involves the pressurizing of the acupressure points on the neck to relieve tension and pain.

Massage therapy is a good way to relieve neck pain as human touch can do wonders. However, massage therapy to treat neck pain must only be performed by a specialist or trained practitioner and in consultation with a doctor. The benefits of this therapy are completely negated if the massage is performed in an improper manner by an untrained person.

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Acupuncture Treatment For Infertility Cure

Friday, May 21st, 2010

Statistics show that infertility in men and women is steadily on the rise. More and more couples experience difficulty in conceiving. To some extent, the modern life style is responsible for this.

The most common causes of infertility are:

  • Excessive smoking and alcohol consumption.
  • Poor dietary patterns, including bingeing on junk food or opting for crash diets.
  • Stress and strain can cause women to suffer from excessive or irregular menstrual periods resulting in infertility. Stress can also lead to a reduced sperm count in men.
  • Hormonal changes or decreased secretion of hormones in the body due to ailments or emotional setbacks.
  • Wearing tight trousers or underwear in man can result in a reduced sperm count.
  • Sexually transmitted diseases are one of the major causes of infertility in both men and women.
  • In women, pelvic inflammatory diseases are another major cause of infertility throughout the globe. These diseases are caused due to bacterial infections in the reproduction organs.
  • Complications during previous pregnancy or abortion can also lead to infertility in women.
  • An injury to the reproductive organs due to some accident can result in infertility in men as well as women.
  • Premature menopause is another major cause of infertility in most women. It usually occurs due to severe mental stress.

If you or your spouse happens to suffer from infertility, you may feel like opting for an alternative therapy instead of the usual clinical treatment. Acupuncture is one of the oldest and probably the most popular among such alternative therapies. Acupuncture has been used as a treatment for infertility since centuries. It originated in China and since then has spread all over the world.

In acupuncture, very fine sterilized needles are inserted below the skin at predetermined points on your body. It requires great skill to perform this insertion. You need to engage the services of a highly experienced and licensed acupuncture therapist for that.

Acupuncture therapy is usually done in conjunction with the herbal medicines.  The insertion of needles at specific points in the body is done in such a way that it increases the blood circulation in the pelvic region and improves the secretion of vital hormones in your body. In men acupuncture can increase the sperm count as well.

However, like any other alternative therapy for any disease or ailment, it may give positive results for some and no results for others. Before you opt for this therapy, do consult your doctor and follow his or her advice.

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Healing Benefits Of Marjoram Essential Oil

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Marjoram essential oil is extracted from an herb named marjoram, officially called Origanum majorana. Marjoram essential oil is extremely beneficial for health reasons.

Some of the health uses of marjoram essential oil are:

  • Marjoram essential oil is a potent expectorant and as such, it is effective against cough and cold.
  • Marjoram essential oil is a powerful analgesic and is anti-inflammatory in action. It helps relieve fever, cold, body ache, toothache, pain in the muscles, and all kinds of inflammatory problems.
  • It is also effective against all kinds of spasms and may be employed to relieve spasms of the respiratory, muscular, and digestive systems. As such, marjoram essential oil is anti-spasmodic in action.
  • Marjoram essential oil is effective against microbes and is used to treat conditions like diarrhea and viral fever  that are caused by microbial infections.
  • It regulates your nervous system and keeps your brain active and healthy and this is why it is supposed to be a potent cephalic.
  • Marjoram essential oil is also helpful in regulating your circulatory system and as such, it fights cough and the accumulation of phlegm in the body.
  • It is also effective against fungal ailments and is used in anti-fungal skin care creams and ointments.
  • Marjoram essential oil is a powerful emanogogue as well. It regulates the menstrual cycle in females and also helps alleviate pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS).
  • Marjoram essential oil also serves as a carminative and relieves the accumulation of gas in the stomach.
  • Marjoram essential oil also stimulates the secretion of digestive juices and saliva which in turn helps quick and easy digestion.
  • It is a good diuretic. It regulates the excretory system and leads to frequent passage of urine which helps remove toxins form the body.
  • Marjoram essential oil stimulates the stomach and maintains its physiology. As such, it is a potent stomachic.
  • Marjoram essential oil has anti-septic properties, which make it beneficial to be used to heal cuts and wounds.
  • It can also be used as a laxative because it relaxes your intestines and excretory system.
  • Marjoram essential oil is a potent vasodilator. It widens the blood vessels, thereby easing the flow of blood in the body. It is a boon for those suffering from cardio-vascular ailments.
  • It may also be used as a sedative as its aroma soothes and relaxes the body.

It is a good idea to consult an aromatherapy specialist before you use marjoram essential oil as a home remedy.

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Massage Therapy During Pregnancy

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Pregnancy is a phase that is full excitement as well as anxiety for a woman. There is excitement over the impending arrival of the new born baby, but this is coupled with anxiety because of the physical changes that occur in the body and the fear of labor.

Pregnancy is accompanied by a lot of symptoms like nausea, vomiting, pain in the body, and abrupt or sudden cravings for foods. Body pain is a major problem for pregnant women. Massage is a good way of relieving these symptoms and ameliorating the pain and fatigue that plagues the body during pregnancy.

Pregnancy massages can be segregated into three categories:

  • Prenatal Massage: Prenatal massage is a newly discovered and highly effective technique of relieving pregnant women of pain in the neck, back, hips, and feet. During pregnancy, the skeletal structure of women has to support the growing baby and the organs of the body shift slightly for this purpose. This is the major cause of pain during pregnancy. Prenatal massage technique involves the manipulation of shifting muscles to relieve pain. It relieves pregnant women of pain as well as other symptoms of pregnancy like depression, anxiety, insomnia, and cramps. It also enhances blood circulation and improves skin and muscle tone.
  • Labor Massage: Labor massage is meant to ease labor pains, by calming and relaxing the nerves and muscles of the cervix and pelvis. This massage can be given on the belly of the pregnant woman by using a pregnancy pillow. This is not a very popular technique of easing child birth as it needs to be performed by a trained specialist.
  • Post pregnancy Massage: Post pregnancy massage is a way to balance the muscle and skin tone of a woman. After pregnancy, the skin loses some elasticity as it has already expanded quite a lot to accommodate the growing baby. As such, the basic purpose of post-pregnancy massage is to restore the elasticity of the skin. Post-pregnancy massage also enhances blood circulation and metabolic processes, and hence, is a boon for lactating mothers. It also helps relieve post-pregnancy depression.

Massage is a great way to ease the stages of pregnancy as human touch can do wonders. Pregnancy massages not only relieves pain, but also help alleviate other symptoms of pregnancy.

However, you must consult your gynecologist before opting for massage during pregnancy. Incorrectly or improperly performed pregnancy massage can be dangerous. For example, prenatal massage can be performed only in the second and third trimester of pregnancy. If performed in the first trimester, it may lead to miscarriage.

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