Dustin Murphy
Massage Therapy
Massage For Health
There is a reason every island resort offers massages for vacationers Massage is undoubtedly one of the best ways to relax, and relaxation is more powerful than one may think. Our overall health can be directly linked with our ability to relax.
When our bodies are under stress, whether real or perceived, multiple biological mechanisms put the body into a fight or flight response. One of the main drivers of this response is a hormone called cortisol. When cortisol levels are heightened for prolonged periods of time, anxiety and depression occur more frequently, weight loss is more difficult, and energy levels plummet. Until stress is managed, health restoration is nearly impossible.
Massage is one of the best ways to take stress management into your own hands. Regular massage has been shown to decrease stress hormones, but also increase "feel good" hormones like dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin.
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By controlling stress, massage puts both mind and body at ease and helps us on a path toward wellness and healing.
Relaxing the Senses
The Power Of Aroma
Smell is the most ancient sense. It was the first sense to develop when humans were evolving hundreds of thousands of years ago. Today, the human capacity for smell is widely under-used.
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Aromatherapy is the use of smell for healing. Specific essential oils derived from a variety of plants are added to the massage lotion to fill the room with wonderful smells to aid relaxation in a powerful way.
Calming the Eyes
Of the senses, sight is one most likely to become overused in the modern world. It is our primary sense for navigating the world around us. to relax however, sight is not quite necessary.
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Instead of harsh fluorescent electrically powered lights, massage sessions utilize natural soft candlelight to calm the sense that can be otherwise overstimulated.
Satisfying Sounds
Sound can make an enormous impact on our mood. Compare for example walking down a busy street filled with car horns and mixed chatter to a hike in the woods listening to chirping birds and breezes blowing through the trees.
On top of improving our mood, certain sound frequencies have been associated with healing properties when heard in a relaxing setting. By playing soft, relaxing songs in these frequencies, the body can be put into an even more relaxed state than is otherwise possible
A Story Of Care
Old Cars, Leather Boots, and the Human Body
My grandfather owned a classic car. A Thunderbird. At least once per month, he would be found in his garage tinkering, cleaning, or working on the car in one way or another. It was one of his most prized possessions. As a barber, he knew the value in religiously caring for and maintaining the way things look.
The car was absolutely beautiful and it ran like new until the day he died.
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One year for Christmas, I got a pair of leather boots. I opened the box to find not only the boot box, but also another box labeled: "Care Kit" I had never owned leather shoes before so before even trying them on I read the maintenance instructions carefully. It turned out caring for leather is no simple task. Between the washing, salving, oiling, and waxing, leather care was not exactly what I thought I was signing up for. Not wanting to ruin my brand new boots, I followed all the steps before even putting them on, and once a season, I do the whole process over again. That was more than a decade ago. Since then I have gone through more than a handful of other shoes that have all eventually broken down.
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The leather boots look and work like they did the day I got them.
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When we take proper, regular care for our possessions, they turn out to be the most beautiful, highest quality things we own; even as we continue to use them for years.
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Although it doesn't come with maintenance instructions, the human body is no different. We must take care of ourselves.
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My grandpa loved working on his classic car, and every season I look forward to breaking out the cleaning kit to keep my leather boots in prime condition. When we put consistent effort into our bodies, they not only move better, feel better, and look better, but we also achieve a sense of pride that comes no other way.
I won't say that massage will cure diseases or give some sense of eternal bliss. I do believe however with every fiber of my being that regular massage therapy over a period of time will significantly improve the quality of your life.