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Massage FAQ
Adaptogen Herbs and Benefits
We all have stress. And we all know that there are things that we can do at home in order to combat stress effectively. Get enough sleep. Meditate. Eat nutritious foods. Exercise. I know, I know!
But what if I am doing all the right things and I am still struggling?
Adaptogen Herbs? What is it?
To be considered an adaptogen herb, it must be nontoxic and serve a broad range of benefits for health, specifically to aid with mental and physical stress. Basically, adaptogenic herbs help you adapt.
I started to learn about adaptogenic herbs a couple years ago when I was looking for a natural remedy to aid with my complexion. I was fighting a war with my hormones and couldn’t quite get them to balance out right, which was wreaking havoc on my face.
After a very serious complication with a prescription medication that destroyed my joints, made me lethargic, and inhibited my range of motion (therefore my exercise routine), I was determined to find a natural solution. That’s when I came across adaptogen herbs. Ashwaganda, Holy Basil, and Chaste Berry were the three that seemed to be most effective for what I was trying to resolve. And they did help my skin. Remarkably.
So, how does this work?
Adaptogens aid your body’s ability to manage stress effectively. Whether that is dealing with abrupt changes in temperature, noises, tri-atholons, high altitudes, traffic jams or screaming children, adaptogens help to defend the body so that you can ease in and out of stressors without the heavy impact that stress can leave on your body.
What impacts does stress have on the body?
Stress can impact all the major systems in your body. Your Musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular system, Gastrointestinal system, and Endocrine system are all impacted by stress. Chronic stress can increase your chances of tension headaches, muscle fatigue, insomnia, high blood pressure, stroke, and more.
Acute stress causes your heart rate to increase while releases adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol to be released. If your body is working under these conditions for too long, it can cause inflammation in your circulatory system, which can lead to long-term problems for heart and blood vessels.
Benefits of Adaptogen Herbs
1. Boost immunity
Adaptogens like chaga mushroom have high levels of beta glucans, a soluble dietary fiber that has been linked to improving cholesterol and heart health.
2. Balance Hormones
Adaptogens support the hormone system and promote relaxation in periods of stress while helping to boost energy when you’re feeling physically and emotionally exhausted.
3. Promotes Cognitive Functions
When there is balance between blood sugar and hormone levels, concentration and focus increase. Siberian ginseng is a great adaptogen that helps to increase focus, concentration, and memory and mental clarity.
4. Powerful Antioxidant
Most adaptogen herbs are packed with antioxidants, phytonutrients, and anti-inflammatory compounds which can assist with athletic recovery and help to protect your heart while lowering cholesterol.
What kinds of Adaptogens are there and where do I find them?
Adaptogenic herbs typically come in powder or supplement form and can be found at your local co-op, nutrition store, online, or at some health care practitioners’ offices.
Here are some of awesome Adaptogen Herbs:
1. Panax Ginseng
2. Holy Basil
3. Ashwaganda
4. Astragalus Root
5. Licorice Root
6. Rhodiola Rosea
7. Cordycep Mushroom
8. Chasteberry (Vitex Berry)
9. Maca Root
I love my adaptogen herbs. I do feel more balanced, refreshed, and able to cope with everyday stressors when I am consistently adding these to my routine with healthy nutrition and exercise. I didn’t initially notice the impact on my stress health until after I stopped taking for a few days. Immediately, my coping skills and patience seemed to take a swan dive.
So, if you’re feeling a little slow, tired, or foggy, try implementing some herbs into your daily routine and see how they work for you!
Medicine Hunter. Adaptogens. Retrieved from http://www.medicinehunter.com/adaptogens
Stress Effects on the Body. (2018) Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-body.aspx
Zolubaite, M. (June, 2017) 4 Incredible Effects of Adaptogens. Retrieved from:
https://www.indigo-herbs.co.uk/blog/4-incredible-benefits-of-adaptogens
Anderson A.D (2008) Assessment and Nutraceutical Management of Stress-induced Adrenal Dysfunction. Integrative Medicine 7(5)
http://www.nature.com/nri/journal/v13/n5/abs/nri3430.html
http://www.herbalreality.com/herbs/shatavari/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19016404
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13225-012-0151-3
http://biomedj.cgu.edu.tw/pdfs/2014/37/6/images/BiomedJ_2014_37_6_345_138318.pdf
Vitamin D-ficiency
We live in the “Bold North”. The winters are long and sometimes we don’t see the sun for days. Many of us suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, which basically means that the winter and lack of sunshine literally depresses many of us.
Some of us are fortunate enough to be able to fly away for a vacation and the term “snowbird” is something we all understand, but what about those of us that are stuck in the frozen tundra until it thaws and gives way to longer days filled with sunshine?
What does Vitamin D do?
Vitamin is important for absorbing calcium and maintaining healthy bones and teeth Vitamin D supports a healthy immune system, brain and nervous systems as well as lung function and cardiovascular health.
It’s also reported to reduce the risk of multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and depression and aids those managing fibromyalgia.
Do I really need Vitamin D?
The fact of the matter is that there are only TWO ways to get vitamin D:
1. Sunshine
2. Supplements
You can, indeed, get vitamin in certain foods, but it’s pretty much impossible to consume the amount of vegetables required to gain your daily allowance of vitamin D.
What about sunscreen?
In order to gain the benefit of Vitamin D absorption, you should avoid using sunscreen. But don’t worry, D3 (cholecalciferol) is produced quickly and you can easily gain your daily D3 being in the sun for about half the time it would normally take your skin to burn. Sunshine is, without a doubt, the best way to get your Vitamin D. In the short time you spend in the sun’s rays, you can expect to gain about 10,000- 25,000 IU of Vitamin D!
Other factors to consider:
There are many factors that go into how your body absorbs Vitamin D. For example:
The darker your skin tone, the longer it takes your body to produce vitamin D. Additionally, your location matters- the closer to the equator you are and the amount of skin you expose, the faster your body is able to produce Vitamin D.
Can you overdose on Vitamin D supplements?
Yes! The recommended allowance of vitamin D is about 600 IU a day. Taking too much vitamin D can cause a rare, but potentially serious condition called hypervitaminosis D, which is a build up of calcium in your blood. Another reason that getting the real thing is the favored option, when available.
Happy Sunshine!
As with everything else, enjoy in moderation. If you know you will be in the sun all day, sunscreen is still recommended, but be sure to let the sun kiss you before applying!
1. American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). “Oral vitamin D supplements reduced levels of Ki67 in prostate cancer cells.” ScienceDaily, 31 Mar. 2012.
2. Cannell JJ, Vieth R, Willett W, Zasloff M, Hathcock J, White JH, Tanumihardjo SA, Larson-Meyer E, Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Lamberg-Allardt CJ, Lappe JM, Norman AW, Zittermann A, Whiting SJ, Grant WB, Hollis BW and Giovannucci E. Cod Liver Oil, Vitamin A Toxicity, Frequent Respiratory, Infections, and the Vitamin D Deficiency Epidemic. Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology Volume 117, No. 11. 2008.
3. Chen TC, Lu Z, and Holick MF. Photobiology of Vitamin D. In Vitamin D: Physiology, Molecular Biology and Clinical Applications by Holick MF. Humana Press, 2010.
4. Cusano NE, Thys-Jacobs S and Bilezikian JP. “Hypercalcemia Due to Vitamin D Toxicity.” In Vitamin D, Third Edition, by Feldman D, Pike JW and Adams JS. Elsevier Academic Press, 2011.
5. Holick MF, Binkley NC, Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Gordon CM, Hanley DA, Heaney RP, Murad MH, Weaver CM; Endocrine Society. Evaluation, treatment, and prevention of vitamin D deficiency: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Jul;96(7):1911-30.
6. Holick MF. Photobiology of Vitamin D. In Vitamin D, Third Edition, by Feldman D, Pike JW and Adams JS. Elsevier Academic Press, 2011.
7. Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2010.
8. Plum LA and Deluca HF. The Functional Metabolism and Molecular Biology of Vitamin D Action. In Vitamin D: Physiology, Molecular Biology and Clinical Applications by Holick MF. Humana Press, 2010.
9. Reichrath J and Reichrath S. Hope and challenge: the importance of ultraviolet radiation for cutaneous vitamin D synthesis and skin cancer. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation, 2012.
10. Smolders J, Hupperts R, Barkhof F, Grimaldi LM, Holmoy T, Killestein J, Rieckmann P, Schluep M, Vieth R, Hostalek U, Ghazi-Visser L, Beelke M. Efficacy of vitamin D(3) as add-on therapy in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis receiving subcutaneous interferon beta-1a: a Phase II, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. J Neurol Sci. 2011 Dec 15;311(1-2):44-9. Epub 2011 May 28.
11. Tang, JY and Epstein Jr, EH. Vitamin D and Skin Cancer. In Vitamin D, Third Edition by Feldman D, Pike JW, and Adams JS. Elsevier Academic Press, 2011.
12. Terushkin V., Bender A., Psaty E.L., Engelsen O., Wang S.Q., Halpern A.C. Estimated equivalency of vitamin D production from natural sun exposure versus oral vitamin D supplementation across seasons at two US latitudes. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2010 June; 62 (6): 929.e1-9.
13. https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/how-do-i-get-the-vitamin-d-my-body-needs/
Why Massage
Massage has been a practice that dates back thousands of years with origins in China, Egypt, and India. Each culture believed in the vast medical benefits that massage could provide including the ability to heal injuries, relieve pain, and the ability to prevent and cure illnesses.
Although therapeutic massage has been in practice for thousands of years, it has only been within the last fifty years that massage has been considered therapy in the West and has become increasingly accepted as a form of alternative medicine. Massage and alternate healing is now commonly integrated into people's daily lives as part of a healthy lifestyle regime and is even becoming more and more accepted by insurance carriers and medical practitioners.
We are becoming an increasingly aware society that is more mindful of the things that we put into our bodies and the paths that we take to recovery on a physical, mental and emotional level. Massage has been proven to provide an Ayurvedic and holistic path to wellness and according to the American Massage Therapy Associate (AMTA) can provide the following:
- Relieve stress
- Relieve postoperative pain
- Reduce anxiety
- Manage low-back pain
- Help fibromyalgia pain
- Reduce muscle tension
- Enhance exercise performance
- Relieve tension headaches
- Sleep better
- Ease symptoms of depression
- Improve cardiovascular health
- Reduce pain of osteoarthritis
- Decrease stress in cancer patients
- Improve balance in older adults
- Decrease rheumatoid arthritis pain
- Temper effects of dementia
- Promote relaxation
- Lower blood pressure
- Decrease symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Help chronic neck pain
- Lower joint replacement pain
- Increase range of motion
- Decrease migraine frequency
- Improve quality of life in hospice care
- Reduce chemotherapy-related nausea (AMTA, 2017)
(AMTA, March 16, 2018). 25 Reasons to Get a Massage. American Massage Therapy Association. Retrieved from https://www.amtamassage.org/articles/1/News/detail/3124/25-reasons-to-get-a-massage