Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
RiverBird, have you ever considered learning neurofeedback? It helped me tremendously. I went to a practitioner to learn it, but now they have books and inexpensive devices so you can learn it on your own. It helps more than massage or acupuncture because you learn very simply to control your negative or bothersome thoughts.
I have physical issues with leg and foot and have in the way-past benefited from massage. In recent senior years have experienced a chronic physical condition. My new doctor says it's nothing serious but is ready with the prescription pad. I'd like to explore other methods. As soon as I get stronger I think the gym workouts and yoga will have better effects.
How does one "self hypnotize"??? I'm willing to try about anything at this point!
If you search for "self hypnosis versus meditation" you will find a lot of discussion about whether they are the same thing or not; I think they are to a large degree, especially if you like guided meditation (I do). Self hypnosis tends to be a bit more "sterile" since it drops any pretense of it being anything mystical or spiritual, but you get into basically the same receptive and relaxed state of mind by concentrating on a particular line of thought and shutting out others (in some meditation the goal is to not even have one train of thought, but IMO the awareness of nothing outside the awareness of nothing is the train of thought).
Has anyone had any dramatically beneficial effects from regular massage (on a particular health challenge)?
yes
i work in healthcare and have seen people with whiplash injuries that are in terrible shape even 5, 10, 15 years after the accident. the injury does not heal and often goes from bad to worse
when i was in a severe multi-car accident (i was removed from the car, strapped to a board, and taken to the ER) it resulted in not only a concussion (head and chest slammed into the steering wheel and steering column; air bag in brand new car failed to inflate) and dislocated shoulder (from the shoulder harness) but also a dual whiplash from being hit both in the front and the rear of the vehicle, with head thrown both forward and backward.
i knew from seeing patients at work the greatest factor in healing from whiplash is receiving treatment and getting it as soon as possible post-accident, the better the results. So as soon as i got out of the hospital, i started going to a massage therapist who specialized in whiplash treatment. At first i was going three times a week, then twice a week, then weekly, this went on over a year until i was completely healed. I regained full range of motion in my head and neck and arm and shoulder and am pain free to this day (its been 9 years) This is not "feel good" massage, it is specific work that is excruciating, but i knew how important it was.
And since this type of work can cause injury if not done properly by someone who knows what they are doing, i would only ever go to someone who is licensed and trained in specific whiplash treatment, and also that i trust. Lots of massage therapists will not even touch the front of the neck or do any anterior neck work.
Not everyone is interested in a therapeutic massage, they merely want to be touched, rubbed down. One can learn massage, independently, thru DVD's, books, and practicing on their friends, spouses.
would you go to a doctor who was not licensed? would you go to a dentist who learned from watching you tube videos? would you let someone do surgery on you who learned from reading a book but never went to school? do you deposit your money in a bank or do you ask some random guy on the street to hold it for you?
a person is putting themself at risk if they get work from someone who is not licensed because people who "learn on their own from books and videos" do not know what they are doing, they are not trained in how to avoid doing damage and where the endangerments are, and they do not know anatomy and physiology.
Last edited by Tzaphkiel; 03-29-2016 at 08:52 AM..
Seems like a deep tissue massage practitioner is doing really hard work physically, standing, and has to pay overhead for studio rental etc. So $40 seems low. I'd go for $60 for an hour, $40 for a half hour. Seniors at the sr center here seem to go often at the higher prices. Someone told me there's a practitioner at the sr center in the next town over who offers senior rates at $40.hr.
Has anyone had any dramatically beneficial effects from regular massage (on a particular health challenge)?
Yes, I have hip arthritis when I was younger like in my 40s, I could barely sleep and could barely sit for 2 hours. My husband rubbed Tigerbalm every night so I could sleep for 2 hours. Since I moved to dryer area and got lots of acupuncture and massage, I can sit for hours, almost 10-12 hours without problem.
I have physical issues with leg and foot and have in the way-past benefited from massage. In recent senior years have experienced a chronic physical condition. My new doctor says it's nothing serious but is ready with the prescription pad. I'd like to explore other methods. As soon as I get stronger I think the gym workouts and yoga will have better effects.
Do light yoga but be careful, yoga ended up hurting my shoulder, still recovering, not 100% to what it was before.
I do light massage on my husband, he likes my warm hands. He doesn't like to go to massage therapist. But there's definitely health benefit for his neck and shoulder area. He doesn't have any lower back problem like I have. He doesn't like deep tissue massage either, so it's wasting time and money to go to massage therapist.
Here are my experiences - I am in my 60s (female). I love really good massage therapy - it is important to find a GOOD massage therapist - going to a school may be cheap but very iffy - I tried it and got some really terrible (even frightening) massages. These days I actually see a very expensive structural integrationist who works on the fascia. This helps immensely with my flexibility, I have ongoing issues with scoliosis, sciatica and old injuries. The sessions are kind of painful, but very worth it.
Until recently I had a wonderful massage therapist who is also involved in an acupuncture program through a college here, and he gave me the most FABULOUS other-worldly relaxing Swedish massages (with his own techniques thrown in). A good massage therapist is worth their weight in gold, and I can't recommend it enough.
I also do acupuncture, and it's a mixed bag - it helps with some things and not others. You usually need a course of several sessions to see improvement in whatever your issues are. I gave up on chiropractic, it did very little if anything.
In alternative therapies, your faith in the technique and the person performing them cannot be overstated as far as likelihood of an outcome you are happy with.
I must admit, acupuncture is not a one time shot. It works slowly. I usually go 3 days and then stop. Bunching these visits make sense to me.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
