Bamboo & Rattan Massage Now Offered at Seasons!
For centuries bamboo has been an essential part of everyday life throughout all of South East Asia. No one knows when the first use of bamboo tools were used to help tired muscles, but it was only natural that they would create massage tools our of the material that was abundant and signified luck, longevity, friendship, peace and harmony.
Bamboo and Rattan Massage Tools
Bamboo Massage uses a special set of beautifully crafted bamboo and rattan tools. They are natural with their coloration and texture so no two sets are exactly the same. The smooth surface of the bamboo feels good on the body of the client as well as in the hands of the therapist. It is not a rare occurrence for the client to mention they cannot tell the difference between the hands of the therapist and the bamboo tools.
There are specific tools designed to work on different parts of the body. They are to used to maximize leverage and gravity with sliding, rolling, kneading, pivoting, levering, tapping and friction techniques. Since these tools cover such a broad area at once, they are extremely effective on trouble areas such as neck, shoulders, back and legs.
Warm Bamboo
Before the bamboo is applied to the body, both the bamboo and rattan tools are heated to a moderately warm temperature. The application process of the warm bamboo melts away the tensions while creating a deeply relaxing and soothing experience. The rotation of the bamboo tools help to maintain the warm bamboo feel throughout the massage.
The use of bamboo and rattan tools levels the playing field between smaller therapist and larger deeply muscled clients. If a client request to work deeper into the muscles this can be addressed with the proper use of the tools while maintaining a natural feel of the client’s massage experience.
Enter into a subconscious bliss like none other. The health benefits of this unique massage include increased circulation, relief of sore muscles, and a deep state of relaxation. And besides, it just feels incredibly exquisite!
Important: This massage is not recommended for clients that have acute conditions of diabetes, osteoporosis, the elderly, children, or pregnant women. Those on pain medication, blood thinners, and have inflamation should also avoid it.
Call 865.675.9355 today to make your appointment at Seasons!
It’s Not Depression…It’s Stress!
Dr. Nathan Goodyear
I am amazed at the number of clients that I see who are prescribed anti-depressants these days. I have only been in practice for 6 years, but I have seen these drugs used excessively to treat everything from PMS to stress.
The major problem with these medications is there are no long-term studies on the impact these drugs have on the body. Don’t forget that these medications have side effect profiles that rival the novel “War and Peace.
Aside from the litany of side effects, anti-depressants typically don’t treat the actual problem. And what I’m finding is that it’s not depression…it’s stress.
Sure, there are people out there that undeniably suffer from depression. But most are struggling with overwhelming stress. It is well accepted that 90% of doctor visits today are due to stress or some stress-related condition.
Let’s look at physiology to see how stress affects the body.
Our stress response is a protective mechanism. It is our body’s way to help us run from that tiger or turn and fight that tiger. It is our fight or flight response. Therein lies part of the problem.
We aren’t running from any tigers, at least not on this continent. But our stress level is constant and higher than ever…bills, economy, family. From the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep, we are under stress. The body doesn’t know the differences between types of stress — whether tiger chase or financial pressure — it just responds to the stress.
We cannot discount the impact of stress on the body. The stress response comes from our adrenal glands. Epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol, and DHEA are the main components of the stress response. Under intense stress, our body releases norepinephrine and epinephrine. These neurotransmitters stimulate cortisol and DHEA release from the adrenal glands. This results in dilated pupils, fast heart rate, edginess…all physical manifestations of the fight or flight response.
It doesn’t stop there. That same long-term elevated cortisol will cause a depletion of the stimulators norepinephrine and an inverse drop in the serotonin levels. And THAT is the cause of depression.
The extended exposure to stress is the problem. And the band-aid solution of treating with anti-depressants is not a good solution.
The alternative? As a metabolic specialist, my approach is to support the the body’s stress response with a customized prescription of vitamins, minerals, bioidentical hormones, amino acids first. Then, we develop a healthy living plan that will help reduce stress and restore the body to normal function so that it is no longer non-functional from extended periods of stress overload.
While exercise and proper nutrition go a long way, the long-term affects of a stress-filled life require customized medical care to reverse their effects. And that’s what we do here at Seasons Wellness Clinic – customized wellness.
Cheers to the pursuit of wellness!
Related articles
- Cortisol and Stress: How Cortisol Affects Your Body, and How To Stay Healthy in the Face of Stress(stress.about.com)
- Stress (room4truth.com)
- Describing the Function of Adrenal Glands: A Study Guide (brighthub.com)
From The Doctor’s Desk: Stress Is a Doorway to Disease
Dr. Nathan Goodyear
Seasons has hosted, on several occasions, Dr. Eldred Taylor, an international expert in bioidentical hormones. During his speaking engagements in Ruston, he talked with men and women about lots of exciting ways to help manage their health. Dr. Taylor is a talented teacher, and I want to share the way he taught our patients about stress and hormones.
Stress elicits a hormonal response, he explained. In fact, 75%-90% of all primary care doctor related visits can be directly attributed to stress according to the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. It makes sense. When you are stressed, you are more prone to illness. That’s one effect of hormones, specifically cortisol.
Stress is a doorway to disease if it’s not treated and corrected.
Here’s what I mean by that. In nature, a zebra or horse running from a predator has acute stress response. Does the stress have a negative effect on the animal’s body? Sure. But the animal is running for its life. Either one of two things happen. The animal will get away, and the stress will end. Or the animal will die… and the stress will end. Either way, the animal is not going to suffer from constant stress.
But in contemporary society, many of us suffer from constant stress. When we experience stress, we too have a surge of hormones to help us fight or run away. You’ve heard of fight or flight. When we are running from a predator, everything works fine. The hormones activated by stress pump us full of energy, and we escape the predator. Or kill it.
But in contemporary society, sometimes we can’t kill our predators or run away from them. Sometimes our predators are coworkers or bosses. We don’t get along with these people, or perhaps we are intensely competitive, and it causes stress. Only we can’t escape these predators in the same way that a zebra can escape a lion. We have to fight with that coworker or boss every day. We experience the stress every day. Our bodies weren’t designed to handle this kind of chronic stress.
That’s why it’s so important to relax. Learn to control what you can. Learn to let go of the rest. I highly recommend things like aroma therapy and massages for relaxation. That’s why Seasons has developed a medical spa—because we want to do more than just help people who are not well. We want to help prevent people from getting sick in the first place.
Stress management is a good place to start.
