Welcome! This page is ever-evolving, as am I.

"Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes”‍ ‍ -Samuel Johnson 

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever”‍ ‍-Mahatma Gandhi

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"What we know is a drop, what we don't know is an ocean" ‍ ‍. -Isaac Newton

“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest” -Benjamin Franklin

The Benefits

• Ease of muscle tension

• Promotion of collagen

• Increased blood flow

• Activation of the Parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest)

• Increased neuroplasticity

• Decreased stress hormones (norepinephrine, cortisol, epinephrine)

• Increased happy hormones

  (dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, oxytocin)

Massage Therapy has a multitude of benefits. Including:

The Muscular System

The human body has around 600 muscles. Some people have more, and some have less. Muscles act as our insulation; they keep us warm and are able to contract on their own when we are not. They also, as you may know, give us our ability to move. It is very important that we fulfill their purpose of movement. While also finding a healthy balance to give them time to recover and repair. This balance looks different for everyone. Factors that take play are stress levels, age, fitness level, and genetics. Improper exercise or insufficient rest can lead to issues like osteoporosis, as the muscles work directly with our bones. The nervous system also takes a hit when we over or under train. Leading to physical numbness, and brain fog.

How is muscular pain caused?

Skeletal muscles typically work in pairs. For example, when you look up, the muscles that connect the back of your head to your shoulders get shortened. When we look down, the opposite is true, shortening the anterior neck muscles and overstretching the posteriors. When we repeat certain movements/patterns/postures, this will inevitably throw us off balance; one side may be working twice as hard. Another cause may be from past injuries. Whether it is the muscle staying tense to try to prevent another injury from happening, or adhesions forming in the muscle that were once meant for repair.

Ways to help muscle pain.

There are so many modalities to ease muscle tension and pain. Hot and cold applications, stretching, foundational training, hydrotherapy- being in the water, swimming, or relaxing. As well as acupuncture, acupressure and massage. These all work by managing our blood flow. Heat helps Being submerged in water lightens our body weight and decreases the pressure on our joints by using hydrostatic pressure. Acupuncture and acupressure have also been proven to be effective. These practices ate known as a natural painkiller. They work by stimulating the nerves, releasing endorphins and by circulating the blood. Massage is also a wonderful tool; it is my personal favorite. Working directly on the problem areas not only feels great, but it also does great, especially when received regularly. Massage activates muscle spindles, which tell the muscles to relax and lengthen. While also releasing those happy hormones.

Let’s get connected with connective tissue! There are many types that all have the same goal of supporting you. The intercircuit, interconnected systems we contain for support include bones, tendons, ligaments, adipose (fat), cartilage, blood, and lymphatic tissue.

Collagen is the most abundant protein that we have as humans. It takes many forms, depending on its location, and is incredibly useful in all its ways. Collagen provides structural support for the joints and bones. It protects the organs, maintains skin elasticity, repairs wounds, creates scar tissue, aids the gut lining, and even helps clot our blood. Just to name a few. In fact, new findings are still being discovered by scientists today.

The stimulation of the skin stimulates the production of collagen. Touch signals specific cells (keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and adipocytes). This process is called Mechanotransduction, and this means sensing and adapting on the cellular level. Similar to how pharmaceuticals send messages to the cells, massage also does. Applying pressure, stretching, and attention through touch tells the connective tissue to relax and repair.

Collagen and Connective Tissue

Breaking down what builds us up.

The “Basics” of the Blood

Alright, lets get flowing!

‍ ‍ Blood is miraculous in all of its complexity. This nourishing fluid serves every tissue at all times. Transporting hormones, glucose, vitamins, oxygen, and immune cells through the body. As well as waste products like carbon dioxide, out. For every minute of every day and for every human life.

            Bone marrow is where the blood cells are born and mature. From here, they enter the bloodstream. Arteries are the organs that move the blood throughout our body. Delivering oxygen to every part of our bodies. Once depleted, veins will return the blood back through the heart, which pumps it through the lungs to release carbon dioxide on our exhale, and reoxygenate on our inhale. The whole cycle of blood flow only takes about one minute to travel around our bodies.

‍ ‍ There are two types of blood, red and white, or erythrocytes and leukocytes. 45% of blood is red blood cells, with only 1% being white blood cells. The other 55% is plasma, which is a water-based fluid that contains salt, proteins, and enzymes. Plasma is the carrier that effectively transports these vital cells.

Red blood cells are red due to a protein called hemoglobin. This protein is used to bind oxygen to the cell. Each molecule of hemoglobin can carry 4 molecules of oxygen, and each erythrocyte contains 270-280 million molecules of hemoglobin. 2.4 million erythrocytes are born in an adult’s body every single second, equating to a seemingly abundant supply of oxygen and erythrocytes. This mighty cell lives and works in the body for around 120 days.

Our white blood cells are soldiers to rid your body of any dead cells and pathogens. These make up only one percent of the blood. There are five types. Each of them has its own name and methods to address unwanted material.

Neutrophils -These are the most common type of WBC. They respond to fungal and bacterial infections. They are very efficient at their job.

Basophils - These are the least common. They release histamine when having an allergic reaction. The production of inflammation, then signals other white blood cells to the area to help with cleanup.

Eosinophils - This cells main job is to fight parasitical infections. They also help with allergic reactions.

Monocytes - These are the largest white blood cells. They can divide and get into tissue to clean up dead cells.

leukocytes- Forms T, B, and NK - or natural killer cells. This cell produces antibodies and has a great memory. B cells make the antibodies, T cells kill off any infect cells. NK cells go right for the target and kill off any cancer, viruses, etc. They get to the infection within 3 days and trigger Cytokinesis - which is cell division from the cytoplasm to increase the fighters.

‍ ‍Phagocytosis is a powerful process in which pathogens are dismantled and get killed off. Inflammation is the signal that brings the white blood cells to the fight. Essentially, the WBC consumes and digests the pathogen by injecting enzymes (lysosomes) and disposing of the waste products through exocytosis.

Please don’t be Nervous System!

This system controls both our mind and body. It processes every input and output. Every bodily function, thought, feeling, and emotion is coordinated by the nervous system, through electrochemical signals. These signals are sent directly to where they are needed. Homeostasis is maintained here. The nervous system can be broken down into two parts.

Introducing the Central Nervous System & Peripheral Nervous System!

They work together in constant communication to maintain our lives.

Central nervous system (CNS) - The brain and spinal cord make up this system. They work together to process information, including sensory stimuli, memories, feelings, and control bodily functions. It receives

Peripheral nervous system (PNS) - This part of the nervous system is the nerves themselves. This part of our nervous system focuses on feelings of temperature, touch, pain.

NEUROPLASTICITY

Neuroplasticity is the roads your brain creates when you make decisions. It is why quitting bad patterns can feel exceptionally hard sometimes. Our brains get so used to making that choice that the opposite brings a great deal of discomfort. Our nervous system does not like feeling this way. Thankfully we can change the way that we think, and act. we can break through what we have built to construct something else.

The endocrine system & hormones!

Hormones are the chemical messengers of our bodies. Glands all over the body release different hormones depending on your mood, stress, and nutrient levels. Unlike the nervous system, the endocrine system takes a much slower approach, through the blood. These chemicals are released and reach their potential action over days, weeks, or even months. But the nervous system is also in charge of your hormones. So… if you are sad, your nervous system will put in an express order for more sad hormones. If we need urgency, our body will release stress hormones, adrenaline, norepinephrine, and cortisol. We can get used to making stress hormones and get stuck in this go mode for longer than we need it. This causes insomnia, hyper vigilance, anxiety, and even high blood pressure. Massage therapy can help greatly with this. When the nerves are stimulated with therapeutic touch, your body begins to make those happy chemicals. Loneliness or hyper independence can also get us stuck in fight or flight. We are social beings, touch is our biological need. When people are in this state, massage can feel uncomfortable. It can be scary to trust someone, but it is the best medicine for this ailment.

“The truth is often eclipsed but not extinguished.”

- unknown

HISTORY

Information has and will always be passed from one hand to the other. People usually want to share their experiences. Good or bad. As long as life exists, so will problems. Therefore, so will solutions, and a passion for information and development will also. Trial and error is nothing new to humans. Attempts for enlightenment, or at least aims to exist through or defeat the darkness . Life is always adapting and expanding.

Massage therapy has been practiced for millennia. Arguably, since the beginning of time, worldwide. Each region contributes a very unique piece to the beautiful puzzles that massage is today.

Beginning in India, a practice called Ayurveda was born. Ayu- meaning life, and veda meaning science. Together, the science of life! Ayurveda has been practiced for approximately 5,000 years. This pursuit of health follows a very integrative approach. Aiming to balance doshas, or our energy. Lifestyle is used as the medicine. Specific foods, herbs, and practices are hand-picked by an Ayurvedic specialist to treat the individual’s energy. Also using mind-body connection techniques, which include massage, meditation, yoga, breathwork, exercise, and prayer. India truly has been a cornerstone in the development and expansion of massage therapy. Being noted as one of the first to document and share ideals.

Abhyanga is a type of traditional indian massage mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic texts such as the Sushruta Samhita, Charaka Samhita, and Ashtanga Hridayam. The practice of Abhyanga uses heated, herb-infused oils on the entire head and body. It was recommended to be received daily to maintain health and longevity. These three texts go into great detail discussing the benefits of their massage techniques and the protocols to properly execute them.

‍ ‍The Huangdi Neijing (黃帝內經), or the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Cannon, from China, contains the earliest written documentation of massage. This book is a multilevel longevity guide. Used to learn TCM. (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Which similar to Ayurveda, it is also a very integrative approach. Discussing how our emotions, food, environment, and life practices affect us. TCM focuses on balancing the body's energy through meridians. These are channels in the body through which energy flows, or gets blocked in. This energy is referred to as Qi to the Chinese. It has many different names depending on the region and its people. It is believed to affect every part of the human body, from our moods to the way our internal organs function. Massage is a great mover of qi. Anmo is one of the first TCM massage techniques. This word has two parts: an means press, and mo means feel. Another technique called tuina translates from Chinese to pinch and pull, or push and grasp. Both are done along meridians and acupressure points to improve the circulation of our vital energy.

Egypt also has a rich history and documentation of massage. Depictions of reflexology were created and discovered on the walls of the Tomb of Ankhmahor. Meaning the physician’s tomb in English. On the inside are many health-related hieroglyphs. One that depicts people giving and receiving what we now call reflexology. This practice focuses on the hands, feet, and ears to promote full-body wellness. Although ear reflexology was more of a recent discovery, by a French doctor, Paul Nogier, in 1957.

These people groups all have the honor of health and enriching the self in common. As well as the awareness that we have energy, in fact, that we are energy. We aim to create balance and find out what is affecting our outer and inner lives. We all want to feel good, I believe. Everything is always affecting us. What can we do to ensure these effects are positive? How can we get help or help ourselves? Curiosity is the first step. But for some of us, it’s the pain that leads us out of future suffering. The good, or bad news, is that our habits are like compound interest. The good or bad that we will stack. We will eventually reap the benefits or consequences of what we sow. Some things are out of our control, and all things are a lesson. A chance to know something deeper, and potentially help someone else. We come from wisdom; our health is in our hands.