Frequently Asked Questions about Massage Therapy

How does stress affect the neck and shoulders

Stress affects the neck and shoulders by changing posture. The body tightens, shoulders roll forward, the chin lifts and the neck moves forward. This puts a tremendous pressure on the muscles of both the upper and lower back. From our point of view, stress is the fundamental cause of most illness.
This condition is easily addressed by massage.

What causes headaches?

In answering this question, it is important to recognize the three types of headaches: a) tension headaches b) sinus headaches and c) migraine headaches. The cause of tension headaches is emotional or physical, resulting in throbbing temples and mental discomfort. The cause of sinus headaches is most often attributed to allergies and the flu, resulting in fluids trapped in the sinus cavities. The cause of migraine headaches can be either impingement of the nerves of the neck or by chemical imbalances, resulting in the inability to function optimally.

What is Holistic Health?

This philosophy of well being incorporates approaches and beliefs that concentrate on the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of a person being closely interconnected. Sometimes we experience pain due to a repetitive use injury. ie: from work, driving, sports, etc. Other times the cause of our symptoms and problems can be buried emotions that the body can no longer compensate for. Holistic health treatments seek to find the "cause" of the symptom instead of just masking the problem with various pharmaceutical choices. There are natural solutions available for our needs and holistic health care is gaining popularity.

What is AN ESSENTIAL OIL?

Plants contain complex and powerful substances known as essential oils. These are aromatic liquids derived from shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, and seeds. Essential oils have been used throughout time dating back to 4500 B.C. From perfumes and pleasant aromas to embalming and medicinal purposes, essential oils were used in everyday life for centuries.

How do essential oils work? Our senses connect us to the world and allow us to respond to our environment. Essential oils fill our senses and trigger physiological and psychological responses in our bodies. There are three basic ways to use essential oils: inhalation, topical application, and internal consumption.

Is quality a factor when choosing an essential oil? Too often cheap copies of essential oils can be potentially toxic. Many oils are derived with harsh chemicals, diluted, or copied and produced in a lab. It is imperative to exercise great care when choosing high-quality essential oils.

There is a huge difference between oils that merely smell good and therapeutic-grade essential oils. The quality of Young Living's pure and potent essential oils has established credibility with eminent scientists and medical professionals who continue to research and validate the effectiveness of these timeless natural wonders.

For further information about Young Living Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils and product line, please feel free to Contact Us at Advanced Alternatives.

What is energy work?

(Often referred to as Therapeutic Touch, Polarity Therapy, Reiki, among others) It is based on the principle that the human energy field extends beyond the skin and the practitioner can use the hands as sensors to locate problems in the physical body. Disease is seen as a condition of energy imbalance or blocked energy flow. Assessment is done by placing the hands over the body about 2-4 inches above the surface. The practitioner then serves as a conduit for universal energy, consciously and actively transferring energy into the recipient thus encouraging a return to balanced physical/emotional/spiritual health. Therapeutic Touch is currently taught in over eighty universities and thirty countries and is practiced by twenty to thirty thousand health care professionals in the United States and around the world.

Is there scientific support for massage therapy?

With a renewed interest in natural forms of treatment, research activity in massage has gained momentum. The following are a few examples of recent studies:
Denise Matt Tope, Ph.D., of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire studied how massage therapy can reduce anxiety and depression in bone marrow transplant patients.
Frank Scafidi, Ph.D., at the University of Miami's Touch Research Institute is studying the effects of daily massage on growth, cognitive development, and immune
function in premature infants born to HIV infected mothers.
Melodie Olson of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston is using a controlled experiment to examine the effects of Therapeutic Touch on the immune functioning of highly stressed students preparing for professional board exams. Positive findings would have implications for other highly stressed populations including cancer and AIDS patients.