Rejuvenations Massage

Archive for the ‘pregnancy massage’ Category

I came across a great article on About.com about how to minimize stress during pregnancy. The article was written by Henry Lerner, M.D., OB/GYN, for About.com. The article is 12 Tips for Coping With Stress During Pregnancy: How to Gain Control of Your Life. Tip #7 follows.

7. Do your homework. Learn as much about pregnancy as you can. Read, talk to friends, attend classes, and talk to your doctor or midwife to learn as much as possible not only about the biology of pregnancy but about its emotional implications as well. In this way if you do begin to experience new and disturbing emotions you’ll at least not be surprised by them.

Are you pregnant? Do you know a pregnant women? Pregnancy massage is one of the best ways to feel good during pregnancy. All of our therapists are qualified pregnancy massage specialists. Visit our new web site at bestpregnancymassage.com.

Is pregnancy massage a good idea? Yes it is! According to the American Pregnancy Organization, studies show that pregnancy massage can reduce anxiety, decrease symptoms of depression, relieve muscle aches and joint pains, and improve labor outcomes and the general health of the baby. Specifically, they say massage helps with the following:

Hormone regulation: Studies done in the past 10 years show that pregnancy massage significantly alters hormone levels associated with relaxation and stress, leading to mood regulation and improved cardiovascular health. In women who received bi-weekly massage for five weeks, massage reduced stress hormones (such as norepinephrine and cortisol) and increased dopamine and serotonin levels (low levels of these hormones are associated with depression). These changes in hormone levels can lead to fewer complications during birth.

Reduction of swelling: Edema, or swelling of the joints during pregnancy, is often caused by the heavy uterus reducing circulation and increasing pressure on the major blood vessels. Massage helps stimulate soft tissues to reduce collection of fluids in swollen joints, which also improves the removal of tissue waste carried by the body’s lymph system.

Improvement of nerve pain: In late pregnancy, many women experience sciatic nerve pain as the uterus rests on the muscles of the pelvic floor and lower back, spreading tension to the muscles of the upper and lower leg, causing them to swell and put pressure on nearby nerves. Massage therapy addresses the inflamed nerves by releasing the tension on nearby muscles.

Pregnancy massage is safe for most pregnant women. However, as a precaution, you should tell your doctor about your intention to get a massage if you:

These conditions don’t automatically exclude you from being able to have a pregnancy massage—massage can help maintain muscle tone, circulation, and decrease bed bound discomfort. But if you have any high risk conditions, it’s important that your physician be aware of any complimentary health treatments you’re receiving.

I came across a great article on About.com about how to minimize stress during pregnancy. The article was written by Henry Lerner, M.D., OB/GYN, for About.com. The article is 12 Tips for Coping With Stress During Pregnancy: How to Gain Control of Your Life. Tip #6 follows.

6. Don’t be a hero. This is especially important if your work environment is in a traditionally “macho” field. Such professions as law, medicine, and corporate life often make demands that are simply impossible for a pregnant woman to fulfill if they are to remain in good health and reasonably sane. Discuss with your spouse and your boss what you can and cannot reasonably do and make adjustments accordingly. Your employer certainly wants you to work as long as you can into your pregnancy. By adjusting your work environment in minor ways you often will be able to contribute much more to your organization than by following your former rigid schedule.

I came across a great article on About.com about how to minimize stress during pregnancy. The article was written by Henry Lerner, M.D., OB/GYN, for About.com. The article is 12 Tips for Coping With Stress During Pregnancy: How to Gain Control of Your Life. Tip #5 follows.

5. Keep lines of communication open with those you love, especially your spouse. Your spouse, parents, and friends—unless they are currently pregnant themselves—will not know exactly what you are experiencing and cannot anticipate what your wants and needs will be. Let them know. Tell them how you are feeling and how they can help. At the same time you must also be sensitive to the concerns and anxieties your spouse might have, especially if this is your first pregnancy.

I came across a great article on About.com about how to minimize stress during pregnancy. The article was written by Henry Lerner, M.D., OB/GYN, for About.com. The article is 12 Tips for Coping With Stress During Pregnancy: How to Gain Control of Your Life. Tip #4 follows.
Make up your mind that you, and not your husband or your mother or your boss or your friends, are going to determine how you feel about your

pregnancy and how you cope with it. Other than your medical care providers, you are the best person to determine what your needs are, how hard you should work, how much you should rest, what you should eat, and all other aspects of your behavior during pregnancy. Certainly listen to the advice of both medical professionals and friends and family members that you trust. But don’t allow yourself to be made to feel bad by the well-intentioned but often incorrect comments and claims of others.

I came across a great article on About.com about how to minimize stress during pregnancy. The article was written by Henry Lerner, M.D., OB/GYN, for About.com. The article is 12 Tips for Coping With Stress During Pregnancy: How to Gain Control of Your Life. Tip #3 follows.

Be prepared to give up some control over the life-style you have worked so hard to attain. Many things about pregnancy are not in your control. You may experience severe morning sickness. You may have overwhelming fatigue. You may develop a pregnancy complication requiring hospitalization or home bed rest. For many women, especially those who have demanding jobs, the thought that biology might interfere with their responsibilities borders on the intolerable. But it happens. Be prepared to accept this.

I came across a great article on About.com about how to minimize stress during pregnancy. The article was written by Henry Lerner, M.D., OB/GYN, for About.com. The article is 12 Tips for Coping With Stress During Pregnancy: How to Gain Control of Your Life. Tip #2 follows.

Accept the fact that even if you currently can thrive on your busy and demanding lifestyle, you likely will not be able to sustain it as pregnancy progresses and makes more physical demands on you. Therefore prepare yourself to cut back on what you’re doing and to allow yourself more time for rest and relaxation. You will need to sleep more. You will need to change the time you a lot for meals to make sure that you are able to eat a balanced diet. You will feel better if you allow time to engage in a reasonable exercise program. Finally you will need to allow yourself some “mental growth” time. This is time for reading, thinking, and planning for the new, incredibly important role of mother you will soon assume.

I came across a great article on About.com about how to minimize stress during pregnancy. The article was written by Henry Lerner, M.D., OB/GYN, for About.com. The article is 12 Tips for Coping With Stress During Pregnancy: How to Gain Control of Your Life. Tip #1 follows.

Take a close look at your lifestyle. Make yourself do this on paper. Look at your work activities, home and family responsibilities, other obligations (church, community activities, clubs and organizations to which you belong). Then look to see how “doable” it is. Make sure you include in your calculations time for yourself for such activities as exercise, down time, and socializing Once you have done this, be honest with yourself as you ask the following: Is this schedule achievable? Sustainable? Satisfying? If not, accept the reality that you have to change the schedule.

I’m constantly surprised by how many people see massage only as a self-indulgent treat that they maybe allow themselves once or twice a year. They know they feel good when they do it, but they have no idea of the health benefits associated with getting good, therapeutic massage regularly.

This has been on my mind because I just hired a therapist who joined the profession because he had witnessed the profound healing benefits of massage while his father was battling cancer. Throughout the treatment, his father received regular massage and it made a tremendous impact on the quality of his life. Johnny believes massage contributed to his father beating the cancer, so much so that he quit his job and went to massage school so that he could bring this healing to others.

According to the American Cancer Society, studies show massage can decrease stress, anxiety, depression, pain, and fatigue in some cancer patients. Many health care professionals recognize massage as a useful, non-invasive addition to standard medical treatment. Johnny and his father will attest to that.