What's on Your Bucket List?

I hear people talking about things to check off their ‘bucket list’, all the things they want to do before they die.  One friend recently went sky-diving, another went swimming with dolphins, several friends’ children have graduated from college, a girlfriend completed a Triathlon, and a couple spent 10 days in Italy (sans kids!). As I get older, I’m realizing my mortality a little bit more with each passing year. Most people have one, but I wonder how many of us are making an effort to check those items off our bucket lists.

I guess my 20 year journey of working in the health and wellness field has brought me to finally check off Massage Therapy school on mine. I met my husband in 1993 when I was working in a chiropractic office   doing physical therapy and rehabilitation. He was a patient with chronic back pain from years of skiing moguls and a lifetime of heavy weight lifting. He always considered himself an amateur bodybuilder and cheered on many of his close friends as they competed in bodybuilding competitions for years. My husband is a very humble guy and never thought of himself as the kind of person to showcase on stage his years of hard work and dedication in the gym.

David took me to the gym with him and I was quickly bitten by the weight lifting bug. I loved weight training, pushing myself, and the self –confidence I quickly realized with regular training. I got certified as a Personal Trainer/Nutrition Counselor and while still working full-time as a chiropractic assistant, started a side business personal training. Working in a very well established fitness center enabled me to build a clientele and I soon transitioned to private clients, traveling to their homes. I always considered becoming a massage therapist, but obstacles such as time and finances always deterred me.  One thing I routinely did with my personal training clients was emphasize the importance of stretching, and I did lots of hands on stretches with them.  The results from a few specific stretching techniques such as PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) and passive stretches were always amazing to me.  Even though I wasn’t doing traditional massage, I was always focused on the hands on approach.

Leaders in personal development are always quoting inspirational things about change and growth is required for each of us to reach greater levels of success and happiness. I have seen how true this is in my own life.  The endeavor I set out to accomplish two years ago to go to school full-time in an allied health career has given me the confidence to continue my education and go for the next degree. I can’t WAIT to check that one off my bucket list. My husband, at the age of 47 finally took the plunge and competed in his first bodybuilding competition…CHECK!

As I eagerly check off my list, I seem to be adding more to the list more rapidly.  So what are you doing today to get one step closer to checking off that list? 

Are you a Headache Person?

I’m pretty sure most of us have suffered the pain of a headache at some point. Whether it is the rare sinus/allergy type or the chronic headache you’ve become accustomed to, there is relief available.

Saturday Night Headache

The “too much fun on Saturday night” headache is primarily induced by dehydration. The meninges in our brain need water and vitamins and electrolytes and…. probably more sleep.   

Migraines

Migraines, however, are a whole different class of headache and sometimes involve symptoms such as extreme sensitivity to light, vision problems, nausea and vomiting. Migraines are described as ‘pounding’ or ‘throbbing’ and are likely due to blood flow constriction or dilation.  Researchers also understand the intricate relationship between neurotransmitters in the brain and the complex neurochemical changes in the brain affecting serotonin and endorphins- the brains natural pain killing hormones. These nasty headaches can last from a few hours to several days and can seriously impact daily life especially when they occur frequently.

Tension

Tension headaches are experienced by the larger population. This type of headache is literally “a pain in the neck”! We can still function (albeit grouchy) and are generally caused by muscle contraction or hypertonic muscles in the neck, or face and base of skull.  Most people experience a constant, dull, achy feeling often described as a “vice-grip” in the head across the forehead and temples.

Can Massage Therapy Help?

Massage is one just one of many natural alternatives to drug therapy that can help relieve headaches safely and effectively. I frequently recommend acupuncture and chiropractic care as an adjunct to massage therapy for headache management and a slew of other ailments.  These modalities can not only address underlying causes of headaches and prevent future ones, but also avoids the side effects that often accompany prescription and over-the-counter headache medications.

Since so many clients who suffer with tension headaches and migraines also have neck pain, manual therapies such as massage offer relief by relaxing tense muscles, relieve muscle spasms, improve blood flow and aids relaxation. Increasing blood, oxygen and nutrients to these areas not only help the muscles of the body to relax but also reduce the anxiety and mental stress that can cause or exacerbate headache pain and frequency. 

Techniques

When I am working with headache sufferers, I tend to spend extra time focusing on muscles in the neck, shoulder, and back as well as base of skull at the occiput. Working with techniques like trigger point therapy, which is specific pressure to points along the cervical spine, trapezius muscles, and occiput. The sternocleidomastoid muscle (the large muscle on either side of the front of the neck) is also an area of tension I massage and do specific stretching to release, lengthen and promote relaxation.

A regular, ongoing massage therapy regime can effectively ease the muscle tension that causes headaches and help prevent them in the future.

Massage Therapy for everyBODY

I am so excited to announce the start of my new career as a massage therapist! I have loved massage therapy since as long as I can remember. I have always massaged EVERYBODY...friends, coworkers, family, kids of friends...I believe EVERYBODY needs massage.
My training for the past two years, approximately 1,000 hours, has been very heavily focused on the medical indications for massage. The curriculum was in depth in the areas of anatomy and physiology, kinesiology, pathology, and medical terminology. We had a unique opportunity to spend a day in cadaver lab hands on dissecting, we had several clinical rotations in the hospital cancer center working on patients receiving infusion therapy, my case study project was on a severely burned patient, our student clinic had patients of all ages with health conditions running the gamut. I love the awesome therapeutic benefits massage has on the human body. I believe the body has an innate ability to heal itself given the right environment.

BUT......the best part about receiving massage is you don't need to be sick, or in pain, or losing function. You can get a massage for the HEALTH of it, the stress reducing benefits are too numerous to list...let's just say the chronic diseases we face in this country today are largely precipitated by high stress levels.  
Whether you are 2 years old (I started massaging my children as newborns) or 92 years young, a massage can do a BODY and mind a whole lot of good. Make it a part of your regular health regime and you will quickly realize the transformative effects it will have on you!

Susan Miller,LMT
http://susanmiller.massagetherapy.com/home