Modern life is full of stress. Whether it is stress from being over-worked and underpaid, trying to balance our job responsibilities with our family obligations, to personal relationships and trying to maintain our internal balance when there are hundreds of things vying for your attention, the effects of stress on the mind, body, and spirit are palpable, deteriorating the health of people all ove
r the world. Statistics:
Percent of people who:
* Regularly experience physical symptoms caused by stress: 77 %
* Regularly experience psychological symptoms caused by stress: 73 %
* Feel they are living with extreme stress: 33 %
* Cited money and work as the leading cause of their stress: 76 %
The Physical and Emotional Toll:
* Percent who said stress has caused them to fight with people close to them:54 %
* Annual costs to employers in stress related health care and missed work: $300 Billion
Psychological symptoms:
* Irritability or anger: 50 %
* Feeling nervous: 45 %
* Lack of energy: 45 %
Physical Symptoms:
* Fatigue: 51 %
* Headache: 44 %
* Upset stomach: 34 %
* Muscle tension: 30 %
* 62% routinely find that they end the day with work-related neck pain,
* 44% reported stressed-out eyes
* 38% complained of hurting hands
* 34% reported difficulty in sleeping because they were too stressed-out
http://www.statisticbrain.com/stress-statistics
http://www.stress.org/workplace-stress/
The numbers don't lie: stress is deteriorating our bodies and our personal lives, creating a society of people who over-work, then over-eat, over-drink, and take massive amounts of pain killers, muscle relaxers, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety drugs, tranquilizers, and sleeping pills in an effort to self-medicate out of the fatigue, depression, muscle pain, and apathy it causes! Massage Therapy has been in practice for thousands of years and has been used to alleviate physical and mental tension. From relaxing Swedish massage to Therapeutic Deep Tissue and Sports massage, people from all walks of life enjoy the benefits of massage therapy, benefits that have an impact far beyond the length of the session. Benefits of Massage Therapy:
* Anxiety: A review of more than 12 studies shows that massage helps relieve depression and anxiety, Lowers levels of cortisol by up to 50% resulting in lifted spirits and often lower blood pressure. It can also boost the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters that help reduce depression.
* Back pain: one 2003 study showed massage reduced the need for painkillers by 36%. The American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society now include massage as one of their recommendations for treating low back pain, according to guidelines published in 2007.
* Headache: reduces the number of migraines a person has and also improve sleep.
* General Health: In one 2010 study, researchers found massage increased a person's disease-fighting white blood cells. The stress-reducing powers of massage can also help keep you healthy.
* Want to boost your brainpower? Adults who were given a 15-minute chair massage in a small 1996 Touch Research Institute (TRI) study were more alert and completed a series of math questions faster and more accurately. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304537904577277303049173934.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/08/massage-benefits-health_n_1261178.html
http://www.webmd.com/balance/massage-therapy-styles-and-health-benefits?page=3
