by Eric Braha on April 1, 2009
“Proper posture is a way of blending with gravity. Proper attitude is a way of blending with life.” ~ Dan Millman, Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior
In his book The Owner’s Guide to the Body, Roger Golten describes ‘average’ posture:” slouching, paunchiness, round shoulders, flat feet, backache, neck and shoulder tension are symptoms of ‘averageness’, and a structure in collapse.” If you think of your body as a structure with your feet as the foundation, your legs as the main weight-bearing frame work, etc., you can get a better idea how important your posture is. A building that loses its stability begins to shift, the walls show the stress through cracking, and in time becomes unihabitable. When it comes to a body out of structural balance, those complaints in the back, neck and shoulders might actually come from an earlier imbalance in the feet, legs or hips.
It’s easier to observe ‘poor’ posture in others because we are unlikely to be aware of our own habitual body positions. When you see someone bent over with severely rounded shoulders, or with one shoulder higher than the other, you are probably observing a condition that has developed over years. True, postural problems can be hereditary or disease related, but often they are habitual in nature.
If you can spot the factors that contribute to these postural imbalances you will know which areas need to be addressed and changed. Be aware of occupational influences such as how you sit at work, how you hold your body during recreational activities, or when you are walking. Other influences to consider include tight clothing, certain types of footwear, as well as furniture that doesn’t support your back.
Whatever postural problem may exist, it affects more of your body than you may realize. Since all of your soft tissue is interconnected (muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, etc.), a problem in one area can and probably will affect another.
The important thing to realize about postural problems is that over the years they can lessen your quality of life, and if ignored, are likely to worsen as you age.
by Eric Braha on February 1, 2009
Besides decreasing headaches, heartburn, constipation, fatigue, and kidney 
stones, getting your fair share of water each day may help prevent serious illnesses including heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer and asthma. One study at the University of Loma Linda California showed that people who drink five or more glasses of water every day cut their risk of suffering a fatal heart attack in half. Researches believe because water unlike other beverages, is absorbed immediately into the blood stream, it thins the blood and reduces clot risk. This also helps moderate blood pressure because it’s easier for the heart to pump thinner rather than thicker blood. Furthermore, researchers at Harvard reported men who drank six cups of water daily reduced bladder cancer risk by 50 percent.
Other studies indicated that high water intake also curbs the risk of breast and colon cancers. And even asthma sufferers have reason to gulp it down. A University of Buffalo study revealed dehydration reduces lung function and triggers bronchial spasm, especially while exercising.~ Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Aug-Sept 2003
Ask for your free bottle of water after your massage at the Braha Massage Studio in Tempe, Arizona.
by Eric Braha on January 1, 2009
How does massage help you feel better and reduce painful conditions?
Imagine you stub your toe. We’ve all been taught that nerve signals travel from the injured area (your toe) to your brain where the message is received and processed. This theory seems to make sense, but it doesn’t account for many situations - such as when an athlete or performer injures a muscle but doesn’t feel the pain until much later. The injury occurred, but the pain message is delayed. And what about fibromyalgia sufferers who experience severe pain with no apparent cause for it?
Scientists have discovered a structure in the spinal cord (called a dorsal horn) that acts as a gateway for the messages en route to the brain. Sometimes this “gate” opens, allowing the messages to pass through, sometimes it doesn’t.
The speed of the message being sent is one important factor that comes into play with this system. Dull pain (a tension headache for instance) travels relatively slowly, from about half a mile to two miles per second. A sharper pain (a torn muscle) travels between five and thirty miles per second. Surprisingly, non-painful touch sensations, including pressure and massage, travel much faster at 35 to 75 miles per second! So if you have two types of sensations entering this dorsal horn area simultaneously, the faster of the two will be sent on, blocking the transmission of the slower one. This offers an explanation of why you would instinctively apply pressure to your stubbed toe; this sensation will get to the gate faster than the pain sensation.
While your body is sending pain signals toward your brain, your nervous system is transmitting chemical messages in response, which can affect the gating mechanism. One of the best known types of these natural pain blocking chemicals is the endorphin (which functions almost identically to morphine). Studies have shown that massage boosts the production of endorphins, further explaining how it helps to lessen pain.
Pain messages are sent from nerve cell to nerve cell, actually having to jump across a gap from one nerve cell to the next. This transmission is assisted by chemicals called neurotransmitters. Two of these neurotransmitters that you may recognize by name are dopamine and serotonin, both of which seem to serve as pain reducers. Other neurotransmitters are thought to promote pain. “When these neurotransmitters are thrown off balance and the body produces too little or too much of them, they can prevent normal, short-term pain from fading away,” says James N. Dillard M.D., one of the leading pain specialists in America in an article in Body & Soul magazine. He also states (along with many others) that massage is an effective tool for managing pain and that “massage therapy can ease muscular pain…” Again, massage can help your body balance neurotransmitter levels.
Yet another factor: upon receiving a pain signal, an area of your brain triggers the release of hormones that can bring about an increase in blood pressure and heart beat rate, as well as tensing your muscles and diverting blood away from your digestive system. Sometimes these hormonal responses continue, contributing to chronic pain conditions. Again, massage has been shown to be an effective means of helping your body return to a pain-free state.
It’s good to know there is solid scientific research to back up what many of us already know: the natural healing power of massage!
by Eric Braha on December 1, 2008
Shoulder Pain
Neck and shoulder pain are some of most often heard complaints at the Braha Massage Studio. It’s no surprise when you look at this area of your body.
The most obvious condition we all tend to experience is stress- “carrying the weight of the world” on our shoulders. This tension we assign to our neck and shoulders may be a big part of the problem, but there are other things to consider.
Functionally, both your neck and shoulder should be extremely flexible. In order to accomplish these ranges of motion, your body’s musculature in this region is appropriately complex. You only need to compare the mechanical functions of your elbow and that of your neck or shoulder to appreciate the difference in complexity.
Also found in this region of the body are two major groupings of nerves that affect the head and upper torso. When tight muscles, etc. impinge or entrap these nerves, it can lead to headaches, breathing difficulties, and /or neck, shoulder, chest, arm, wrist or hand pain.
In other words, sometimes the area where you feel the pain may not be the actual source of the pain. For example, a tightness at the base of your skull may be affecting nerve flow that you feel as a headache or as pain in your shoulder or upper arm. The good news is that massage can alleviate these referred pains by addressing the source of the problem. And many of these points are located in the neck and shoulder area.
Other things that may be causing you problems include sleeping in an awkward position, sitting too long at your work station, cradling the phone with your neck, or carrying a heavy bag or suitcase, to name a few. Be aware of these types of activities to try to lessen the likelihood of future problems.
Those who spend their days working at their desks or computers may find that their working position has led them to develop the habit of shallow breathing. Instead of proper breathing from the diaphragm, breathing is now accomplished through the neck and shoulder muscles. This can lead to chronic pain and muscle tension in the area, and the true cause-the shallow breathing- is easily overlooked.
Receiving your regular massage sessions is a great way to reduce or eliminate neck and shoulder complaints. Massage can relax the tension in your muscles and other soft tissues, help to increase range of motion, restore flexibility, and increase the nerve flow through the area.
The Braha Massage Studio is one place that can help you take the weight of the world off your shoulders. Leave the weight of the world behind and get the massage you need!
