Millions of Americans suffer from pain, whether injured on the job or in activity or have an illness that causes chronic pain. For them pain management is not just a phrase, it is a life line. Doctors will typically prescribe medication as a part of a pain management plan. Honestly, medicine doesn’t always help the sufferer return to an acceptable quality of life. Prescription opioids carry serious risks of addiction, abuse, and overdose. Besides, these medications often mask the underlying causes of the pain without addressing them.
Many are turning to other therapeutic options as tools that help manage temporary or chronic pain.
Pain Relief Through Massage:
Pain typically begins as tissue damage, but ongoing pain is affected by other factors. So, stress, environment and emotions often contribute to the intensity and duration of pain. In recent years the medical community has found out what many already knew: we have an inherent ability to be a part of our own healing process.
Massage therapy is a safe option that has been shown to be effective for many health issues. Massage therapists will support the innate ability of the body to heal itself by utilizing a holistic approach. We focus on the entire body system and its relationship to soft tissue, so their care is not focused solely on the site of pain. In fact, this approach helps the client to become more aware of their bodies. It helps them to better familiarize themselves with the pain they experience. It also helps by reconnecting to breathing and the emotions and different sensations they feel throughout their system.
Deep acceptance of what is present and lack of judgment of what arises to the surface during a session in terms of emotions that were held tightly in the tissues should be an integral practice. Honestly, it ought to be implemented by both the therapist and the client for better results.
To make this clear, here are only a few conditions that might benefit from massage and have been treated multiple times at Heavenly Embrace Wellness with great success:
- Neck pain
- Lower back pain and sciatica
- Carpal Tunnel syndrome
- Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS)
- MS (Multiple Sclerosis)
- ITB Syndrome
- Elbow Tendonitis
- Rotator Cuff Syndrome
- Myofascial Pain Syndrome
- TMJ (Temporomandibular joint dysfunction)
- Headaches & Migraines
Far Infrared Sauna Therapy Reduces Chronic Pain
Pain is an important symptom designed to alert us to problems in our body. Chronic pain is virtually always associated with chronic inflammation.
In addition to reducing inflammation, far infrared therapy improves chronic lower back pain, chronic neck pain, phantom limb pain, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, menstrual pain, osteoarthritis, and chronic tension headaches.
Meditation Helps Manage Pain:
According to a report from Harvard Medical School, researchers from Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital found that meditators in an 8-week study on mindfulness meditation experienced a decrease in pain sensation. They believe that this could be due to an “enhanced ability to turn the Alpha Rhythm up or down” and this gave practitioners a “greater ability to regulate pain sensation”. (Harvard Gazette, April 2011)
While meditation can help to address the psychological causes of pain, massage can address the physiological ones. Massage can promote relaxation and facilitate the release of tension held at the point of pain and further away from it.
How to Do a Simple Meditation Practice:
Beginning a meditation practice is simple. First, you don’t need to sit in the traditional cross-legged position since that may not be comfortable for pain sufferers. Find a comfortable way to sit using pillows or blankets to cushion or support you. I wouldn’t recommend meditating lying down because it’s very easy to fall asleep that way. So, it is recommended that beginning meditators practice for 5 to 10 minutes to start, gradually working up to 20-30 minutes. Set a timer for your practice, settle into your seat, close your eyes, and for a few moments, allow your breath to settle into its natural rhythm.
It will be your choice whether you’ll focus on your breathing or introduce a phrase or mantra as a way of deepening and focusing your attention away from your busy mind. It can be something simple like “I am.” Silently say I as you breathe in and am as you breathe out. Continue repeating this phrase until your timer sounds.
Whatever meditation method you choose, remember that thoughts are part of our human nature. So, if they arise through your practice, there’s nothing wrong with you. Simply acknowledge what’s occurring, allow your thoughts to drift away like a cloud in the sky and go back gently to your focus of choice.
At Heavenly Embrace Wellness, we would love to help you develop tools to manage your pain. Please contact us to see how massage and meditation can help you, or book your session today.
With much Love and Light,
Liraz
Liraz Bergman-Turner is a Licensed Massage Therapist, Reiki Master & Reflexologist. She is the owner of Heavenly Embrace Wellness, a massage and energy healing practice in Boulder, CO.
Liraz is a gifted healer. Her massage was both strong and gentle, anticipating what was needed for each muscle. Her office is beautiful and relaxing. She has all the amenities for pampering and the strength for deep tissue. I loved the essential oils throughout. Highly recommend!
