Congratulations on your new arrival! Pregnancy is an exciting time. Of course, it also comes with a lot of changes in your body (and emotional) state. You’re probably eating healthy, maybe taking prenatal vitamins, and looking for all the ways to support your body and the little one inside.
One of those benefits is with a maternity massage. Massage relieves stress and helps reduce any discomfort you may be experiencing in your changing body. A therapeutic massage also boosts blood circulation and stimulates endorphins in your body. Both help circulate nutrients, reduce stress, and improves your sleep.
A maternity massage is different from a regular massage in that your massage therapist will position you differently. Usually, you’ll be in a comfortable semi-reclined position with supportive pillows. Your massage therapist will use a few different techniques that are applicable to pregnant women.
5 Benefits of a Maternity Massage
If you’re like a lot of pregnant women, you may find you have new or deepened aches and pains during pregnancy. Some of the common ones include upper or lower back pain, heartburn, and headaches. A therapeutic massage can help with these and other pains.
1- Massage improves circulation – That means increased oxygen flow, which carries nutrients throughout your body. This also boosts immunity and helps your body release toxins. (That’s why massage therapists always encourage you to drink a lot of water afterward.)
2- Releases Endorphins – One of the reasons you feel so relaxed after a therapeutic massage is because it releases endorphins. These are the “feel good” hormones in your body and they also reduce stress and help you sleep better.
3- Reduces Aches and Pains – Hip pain, sciatica, back pain, and even acid reflux can all be associated with pregnancy but a maternity massage can help. For further pain reduction, you can combine massage with chiropractic care for a complete, all-natural approach.
4- Good for the heart – Therapeutic massage can reduce your blood pressure and it increases blood flow to your uterus so your baby gets the nutrients it needs.
5- Stress Reduction – Sometimes you know you’re under a lot of stress. If that’s the case, you probably know stress isn’t good for you or your baby. A caring massage can help you feel nurtured.
Now that you know a maternity massage has so many benefits for pregnant women, are you ready to schedule yours?
As always, if you have any questions or concerns about maternity massage, talk with your healthcare practitioner. If you’re in Doylestown, Pa., McQuaite Chiropractic can recommend a massage therapist for you.
When was your last massage? For many, it’s been awhile. Once thought of as a indulgence, the medical community now recognizes the benefits of massage therapy. You may know it reduces stress and relieves pain. But did you know massage therapy also releases feel-good endorphins?
Endorphins are naturally occurring chemicals in the body that promote relaxation. Endorphins also lower your blood pressure and improve oxygen flow. As you may know, better oxygen flow reduces inflammation and helps flush away toxins.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, “Massage therapy is used to help manage a health condition or enhance wellness. It involves manipulating the soft tissues of the body. Massage has been practiced in most cultures, both Eastern and Western, throughout human history, and was one of the earliest tools that people used to try to relieve pain.”
Medical professionals of all types recommend massage therapy. Studies show it’s helpful for everything from tension headaches to chronic pain like fibromyalgia. It’s even helpful for diabetics.
Here at Mcquaite Chiropractic, we recommend massage therapy as a complementary therapy to your chiropractic treatments. The reason why is because while a chiropractic adjustment realigns your spine; massage relaxes your muscles. They’re each good on their own. But together, they’re like peanut butter and jelly. They both reduce inflammation, reduce pain, and improve your flexibility. It’s a good holistic approach to your body’s overall wellness.
Other Benefits of Massage Therapy
Anxiety Reduction
Lying still for an hour (or even half hour) forces you to slow down. This is good for your mental state. Plus, safe human touch fulfills a deep human need for human contact. Studies have shown that people feel less stressed and happier after massage.
Pain Reduction
Massage therapy improves blood circulation and reduces inflammation. You instinctively rub sore muscles for relief, a massage therapist does it better. Plus, this natural pain relief means you may skip pain medication including opioids.
Helps Control Blood Sugar in Diabetics
It can help control blood sugar by helping your body better absorb insulin. It also helps reduce toxins.
Improved Digestive System
Better circulation helps the blood carry oxygen and nutrients throughout your body and flush out toxins. This stimulates your lymph nodes, your digestive system, and even your immune system.
As you can see, there are many benefits of massage therapy. There are also many different types of massage. Some of them include deep tissue, Swedish, myofascial, and sports. If you’re wondering which is the best massage for you, it depends on why you’re getting the massage and your personal preference. Your chiropractor can make recommendations for you.
When you combine massage therapy with chiropractic care, you’ll feel better in between treatments. If you live in or near Doylestown, Pa. and you’d like to experience natural pain relief with chiropractic and massage therapy, stop in or call for your free consultation.
Here in Bucks County, Pa. it seems like the winter predictions for a cold and snowy one are coming true.
“Bomb-cyclones,” blizzards, or just plain old snow has most of us shoveling snow and trying to maintain balance on icy sidewalks.
Not only is it cold, but winter activities like snow shoveling can put a strain on the body. Every year, we see patients who’ve “thrown their back out” due to snow shoveling or a slip n’ fall.
It’s not surprising really, snow shoveling can be difficult and unseen ice is hazardous. One way you can protect your back from such winter hazards is to take precautions. Alternatively, leave the snow removal down to the professionals.
Protect Your Back from Winter Injuries
1—Warm Up
Chances are, you’ve heard this before, but you don’t probably don’t do it. The fact is, shoveling snow is cardio.
If it’s a heavy snow, it’s dense and wet and it won’t take long before you’re drenched in sweat and your heart is thumping.
Pay attention to your body, take breaks as you need to and do some stretching before you start. One stretch that’s useful to do both before and after shoveling is to hold the shovel in both hands and lift it over your head. Then, do a few gentle twists to the right and the left. This will help loosen your back and help prevent strained muscles.
2—Shovel in Increments
There’s a reason seasoned Northerner’s shovel snow throughout the storm rather than letting it build up. It’s far easier to shovel 1-2 inches than a foot and this is especially true if it’s the wet stuff.
Bundle up and go out there before too much has fallen. Try to use the push technique, rather than lifting. Simply push the snow to the side rather than lifting it.
3—Use Your Legs to Lift
When the snow piles up and you have no choice but to lift it, remember to bend your knees and use your legs. Too many people hurt their backs by not doing do this but you don’t have to be one of them.
If you’d like more information on ergonomic shovels and techniques for snow removal, take a look at this post from spine-health.com
4—Use Salt, Sand, or Kitty Litter for Traction
You know that outdoor sidewalks, steps, and porches can be icy. Be sure to prime them with salt, sand, or kitty litter for traction prior to the snow falling and during. If you have areas that tend to stay icy longer than others because they’re in the shade, use ice melting products and if you can, avoid the area until it’s melted.
5—Heat Therapy
After you’ve shoveled, try relaxing in an Epsom salt bath and/or use a heating pad on your lower back to soothe it.
If you DO have an emergency, call the office at 267-247-7000. We accept walk-ins and (crawl-ins) and will get you back on your feet as soon as possible.
Do you know the health benefits of massage? Massage therapy relieves stress and pain related to headaches, fibromyalgia and a host of other issues to promote healing. Chiropractic care keeps your spine aligned. They each promote a strong immune system and keep you feeling healthy.
If you think about it it makes sense. Massage therapy manipulates your tendons, muscles and fascia while chiropractic care aligns your bone structure. They work well in tandem.
Work with Your Body’s Natural Tendencies
You’ve probably heard of muscle memory. That’s when you learn a skill like riding a bike and once your muscles understand the motions, you never forget it, even if you go for years between riding.
It works the same when your body is out of alignment.
Let’s say you’ve been involved in a left turn accident that messed up your shoulder and you have found it hard to manage to do daily tasks, you may find that a chiropractor can help ease the pain and put your body back into alignment. If you get a massage then too, the massage will help your muscles stay in alignment.
If you don’t do either one, your body can create new alignments and eventually new pains. For example, let’s look at the car accident example above. If you have a shoulder knocked out of alignment and you don’t seek treatment it will cause your spine and neck to compensate for the misalignment. This can lead to more pain down the road. Injuries resulting from car accidents are not uncommon and can sometimes be quite nasty. If you have been involved in such an incident, you might want to reach out to a car accident lawyer.
Essentially, it’s like this.
Massage therapy works well in conjunction with chiropractic care because they support one another. When your mis aligned spine is put back into alignment with by a chiropractor, massage helps it to stay there because it’s working with the muscles to support the work the chiropractor has done.
Many chiropractic offices offer massage therapy has part of their treatment process. You’ll get the most benefits by combining the two.
In the Doylestown area, Dr. Jeff McQuaite’s office offers massage therapy to area residents who want to feel better.
Dr. Jeff McQuaite
McQuaite Chiropractic
295 Logan Street
Doylestown, Pa. 18901 267-247-7000
Office Hours
Mon: 8:30 am – 12 pm, 2:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Tues: 10 am – 1 pm, 2:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Weds: 8:30 am – 12 pm, 2:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Thurs: 2:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Fri: 8:30 am – 2 pm
Sat: 8:00 am – 10 am
