Massage, Diet and Inflammation

-
What These Have in Common Might Surprise You!


What massage and diet have in common is the ability to help keep chronic inflammation under control. And controlling it can help your body feel much better.

Inflammation is the body's natural defense system against harmful influences that could damage tissues and lead to cancer, heart disease, diabetes and many other degenerative diseases. Unfortunately, too much inflammation for too long a period of time can also be linked to these very same problems.

There can be many causes of chronic inflammation, and the food we eat plays a significantly large role in the body's ability to regulate it.  Stress is also linked to increased inflammation due to stress hormones, such as cortisol. So, there are two important ways that changes in your lifestyle can directly impact the amount of inflammation your body has to manage.... diet and stress management.

The first part of controlling inflammation is controlling the foods that we eat.  Basically, staying away from all processed, sugary, fried foods is going to go a long way in helping control inflammation. The following foods should especially be on your "eat sparingly or not at all" list:
  • French Fries - and any fried food for that matter.
  • White Bread - stick to whole grains and avoid refined flour.
  • Coffee Creamer - often has trans fat and is loaded with sugar.
  • Doughnuts - refined flour, sugar, fried... need I say more?
  • Second Glass of Wine - a little alcohol might help inflammation, more makes it worse.
  • Bacon - processed saturated fat. 
  • Granola Bars - lots of these have more sugar than a doughnut. 
  • Sweetened Yogurt - eat plain yogurt and add your own fruit.
  • Cereal - Most have refined flour and a lot of sugar.
The second part is stress management. Although controlling external stress is next to impossible, controlling how our body responds to stress can be achieved. Many studies have shown that regular exercise, meditation and having massages are ways to help relieve stress. Not only does massage give a person a sense of well being, but it has been shown to lower blood pressure and induce a deep level of relaxation. This coupled with the pain relieving benefits of having muscle tension reduced has the ability to improve the body's stress management. Regular sessions of massage will provide the most beneficial results.

For more information please contact us!

San Diego Tennis and Racquet Club
4848 Tecolote Road
San Diego, CA. 92110
 Appointments (619) 295-3516 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Got Shoulder Pain? Don't be surprised if your massage therapist starts working on your neck.

-
Image
When pain is felt between the shoulder blades, it would be assumed that there is a problem somewhere in that area, but it could actually be coming from your neck area. Knowing where the pain originates from can help in formulating a treatment plan to alleviate discomfort. Better yet, knowing how the problem started, can help the pain from developing to begin with. Nerves: The Struggle is Real Pain is caused by the nerves becoming entrapped within tight muscles. The area around the neck and shoulders is especially prone to entrapment due to the crowded nerves that run from the neck area down into the scapular (shoulder) area. They twist and turn in tight spaces around and through muscles that run along your spine from the base of your skull down into your shoulder area.  When the muscles become tight and inflamed they further compress and crowd the nerves. That causes the nerves to become grumpy. The grumpiness runs all the way down to the muscles between your shoulder blades. ...
Read more

Mindful Relaxation in a Covid-19 World

-
Image
The positive impact that stress management has on your health is well worth the effort! Many people depend on massage therapy to work out their aches and pains and to bring them to a state of relaxation. During this Covid-19 era there has been a heightened sense of anxiety and stress and a lack of ability to continue our normal routines of self care that we desire and that we need. As we've discussed in past articles, there are multiple ways to self-massage to calm muscle tension. Although nothing compares to the hands and skills of  a professional body-worker, some relief can be found through self-massage care. As you break out the tennis balls and foam rollers to work out your knots, don't neglect the importance that mindful relaxation has on your health. The benefits are bountiful and lasting! Some mistakenly understand the pursuit of relaxation practices, including massage therapy, to be only a thing of luxury, something that is decadent, a treat to be h...
Read more

Fascia's Role in Stiffness, Tightness & Pain

-
Image
What is Fascia? Fascia is the connective tissue that literally holds the entire body together. Imagine a whole roasting chicken that you would find at your grocery store. If you were to pull up on the skin of the chicken, you would see a substance that is attached underneath the skin and also to the muscle beneath it. It is clear, thin and sticky. This is the fascia. How the fascia becomes damaged  and what happens when the fascia is damaged Plantar fasciitis: Plantar, being the bottom of the foot and fasci itis (any word with "itis" at the end of it, means that something is inflamed and irritated).  Put those two together and you have a recipe for very uncomfortable pain that can often takes weeks or months to rehabilitate. If you have ever experienced plantar fasciitis, you have unfortunately become acquainted with damaged fascia. This is just one common example of how the fascia can play a role in contributing to our various aches and pains.  W...
Read more