It is February and love is in the air! This month it is time to get educated and aware of how to healthfully detoxify your body, mind and spirit. This is one very important practice for loving the self and taking good care of you. Detoxification has become a popular topic in the media, especially over the past couple of years. We hear about extreme cleanses, particular diets, calorie cutting and usually it doesn’t sound like much fun. The fact is, our bodies are always naturally detoxifying and if we don’t apply some smart principles in supporting or really understanding it, and go on a cleanse, we can make ourselves quite ill and in worse shape than before we started.
This month’s article is packed full of information and will be presented as a two part series, authored by Dr. Michelle Hagel and Lisa Lin, RMT. Dr. Hagel is going to discuss what toxicity is, and how to detoxify in a safe and healthy manner. In the second article, Lisa will talk about using massage and reflexology to support natural detoxification for improved health.
Using Massage and Reflexology for Detoxification
By Lisa Lin, RMT
Massage Therapy supports the natural detoxification of the body to flush out metabolic byproducts from the body. Massage uses techniques such as manual compression, kneading, combined with gentler tissue manipulations performed by a practitioner. This manually stimulates the lymphatic and circulatory systems to release waste products and carry nutrition to the cells.
Reflexology works in a similar manner. This practice is most commonly applied on the hands and feet. In my practice, I use reflexology to complement the massage work and assist in reaching deeper areas of the body for healing. By applying pressure to various points and sections on the skin surface of the hands and feet, this awakens the body through the nervous system network. There is a “map” of the entire body on the hands and feet. Stimulating a point on the bottom of the foot, for example, sends a message via the nervous system to a corresponding organ, such as your liver. This message says to your liver, via your brain, “it is time to activate, allow blood and fluids to flow and optimize function”.
What is Happening in Your Muscles if They Become Toxic?
As Dr. Hagel discussed in her article, if the body becomes sluggish and congested with toxicity to varying degrees this impedes healthy circulation and natural cleansing of the organs, tissues and cells. Inflammation is a common culprit for aches and pains. Tissues swell and lymph becomes congested. We want healthy and well hydrated circulation to return the cells and tissues to good health. We do not want stagnation and chronic inflammation as this leads to further toxicity and dis-ease. In massage, we often see areas of pain and tension. Here, there is a holding pattern in the body, some of the tissues can become ischemic (without oxygen) and it becomes much like having a traffic jam on the freeway. You can feel this as a painful knot or a trigger point in a muscle. Through utilizing healthy detoxification protocols, the traffic jam gets sorted out car by car until the freeway is clear and functioning well once again.
4 Key Points to Remember with Massage
- Have a conversation with your massage therapist beforehand about how much pressure you are comfortable with during a massage, and if you have been ill recently, experienced significant trauma, have specific injuries or sore spots. Too much pressure can aggravate symptoms, disable the trust your body has with a practitioner and leave you feeling hurt, sore and fluish the next day.
- Hydration is really important before and after a massage. Your body uses fluids to flush out waste from your system generally – if you are dehydrated, detoxification will take longer, feel miserable and can aggravate the symptoms you are trying to free yourself from.
- Regular massage if it is a practice you enjoy, is like getting a tune up done for your car. It helps support the body to flush out toxins and bring nutrition into the tissues. The more you take care of yourself through regular exercise, rest, hydration and nutrition, the fewer massage visits you would need to maintain good functionality of your muscle tissues. You will be more prone to soreness after massage if you don’t take care of yourself and you only get massages when you are at a point of significant physical misery.
- After a massage – bathe and soak in Epsom salts for about 15 min (ie. 1/2c salts per bath, mix in the tub water). Keep a water bottle handy to drink to stay hydrated as the Epsom salts are detoxifying in their own right.
Massage Therapy Northwest Calgary
Now you have lots to think about. Let all this information sit with you and explore the suggestions that resonate with you. We have just surpassed January, the days are getting longer, what is one thing you can do today to support your health? Best wishes on your journey. Get Started Today!
If you missed Part 1 of this series from By Dr. Michelle Hagel, ND click the link below to catch up