1/28/09

Anxiety Relaxation Techniques


If you are think that you are vulnerable to anxiety panic attacks, the let me tell you that you are not alone. 20 millions Americans run the same risk, they all suffer from anxiety. There are a lot of reasons that actually trigger anxiety, but the best part is that it is curable. Once you now the reason of anxiety it becomes all the easier. There are a lot of anxiety disorders but the most common is excessive worrying. 
Anxiety greatly affects the quality of life that you are leading, if you are vulnerable to anxiety then most of the time you will find that you are weighed down with worries. There are drugs that are available in the market that can help you to cope with anxiety, but Anxiety Relaxation Techniques are much better as the reach to the root of the problem. 
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When a panic attack hits, you can have palpitations, dizziness, perspiration, shortness of breath, detachment from reality, trembling, and even a fear of going crazy and dying to just name a few of the symptoms. 
The different relaxation methods are deep breathing, muscle relaxation and meditation. Along with this it is important that your body is not deprived of a healthy dose of nutrients and vitamins to keep it fit.
Deep breathing is a great technique as this way you can control your breathing when it becomes too shallow or fast. Just this assurance that you are in control of your breathing gives a lot of confidence to the patients. Patients live in a constant fear of facing and anxiety attack and once they know that they will be able to control it, they will be much more relaxed. 
Another “Anxiety Relaxation Techniques” is relaxation of muscles. This should be preferably followed daily. All you have to do is to tense your muscles while breathing in and relax it when you are breathing out. This way you will be able to differentiate between a tense and a relaxed muscle. In case you are having an anxiety attack and your muscles begin to contract then you can relax them and keep a control of the situation.
Mediation is also very useful to fight anxiety attack. When you are having an anxiety attack it is important that you focus on a singe word or an image this will help your body to relax and block out all the unwanted thought. 
You can use all three of the “Anxiety Relaxation Techniques” individually and also use them in a combined fashion. If you use all the three techniques together then you will realize that you are in a much better position to control stress and you will be shocked to see the difference it can bring to your daily life. You will truly start living once you are stress free. 
So many people get hooked on pills; they think they found the answer to their problems. But getting hooked on something is just as bad as the panic attack.You have to look at yourself and face your fears, and for a lot of people that is just too hard to do. It is just so much easier to pop a pill. Many medicines are developed to treat only symptoms, not causes, of an ailment. For example, aspirin may bring relief from the symptoms of a headache but it won’t do a thing for the allergies, stress, or illness that may be causing them. Anxiety Relaxation Techniques is the best way to take.


1/27/09

Millions of Americans Bring Massage Benefits into the Home

(ARA) – Massage is moving mainstream in the lifestyles of millions of Americans who rely on the millennia-old therapeutic practice not just for relaxation but for a host of health benefits, including pain relief. In fact, nearly a quarter of all adult Americans had a massage at least once in 2007, according to the American Massage Therapy Association.

The aging of the baby boom population, and broader knowledge of massage’s health benefits among younger generations, like X and Y, are likely driving the trend. The AMTA, which surveyed more than 1,000 adults, reports that respondents aged 45 to 63 had an average of seven massages in a 12-month period, while those 18 to 44 had an average of five.

“Clearly, the perception of massage as a luxury or indulgence is changing,” says Phillip Mattison, President of Core Products, a company that offers therapeutic products, including the Jeanie Rub, an in-home massager. “Many Americans now view massage as a key tool for improving and preserving their overall health.”

What’s more, people are taking massage home with them, viewing self-massage at home as a natural extension of the therapeutic benefits of professional massage. “You can get the pain relief of a massage without the expense of a professional masseuse or the wait in a chiropractor’s office,” says Pat Dawson, a Texas native who uses the Jeanie Rub at home. Dawson’s husband, a pilot, uses the massager to ease sore shoulder and arm muscles.

More doctors are now recommending massage to patients as helpful in treating a host of health problems, including:

* Pain relief
* Poor circulation
* Muscular spasms and cramping
* Dependence on medication
* Post-surgery swelling, pain and adhesions
* Weak or atrophied muscles

Massage is also thought to stimulate the release of endorphins that promote pain-relief, stress-relief and an overall sense of well-being.

“Unfortunately, not all health insurance policies cover professional massage therapy,” Mattison points out. “And professional massage can be expensive, with some treatments ranging over $100 per hour in top clinics.”

Dawson solved her cost vs. benefits dilemma by purchasing the Jeanie Rub Massager. “It has paid for itself over and over again,” she says.

The massager delivers a consistent, soothing and invigorating massage through a deep-penetrating oscillating action. Operation is simple – turn on the massager, place it on the body area in need of therapy and relax. It’s not necessary to press down on the massager, which can deliver therapeutic benefits in as little as five to 10 minutes. 


Since discovering the massager 10 years ago, Dawson’s greatest massage expense has been buying multiple massagers. She’s given away two already to family members and friends who borrowed it and loved it.


Playing Piano Relieves Stress and Anyone Can Do It

Feeling stressed over the economy? More and more Americans are turning to a millennia-old technique for relieving stress -- music. Whether you just listen or actually play an instrument, music has very definite therapeutic value for a range of mental and physical health issues, a growing body of scientific evidence shows.

From relieving depression in adults to helping children with Attention Deficit Disorder learn to focus better, playing music provides myriad health benefits, studies show. In fact, studies reported on the Music Industry Association’s Recreational Music Making Web site show that playing music has:

* Improved immune system performance in corporate workers studied in Japan.
* Relieved loneliness and boosted self esteem in senior citizens.
* Relieved stress and improved mood for 75 nursing students studied at Allegany College of Maryland.

But how can you tap the stress-relieving, health-enhancing benefits of playing music without investing years learning to read music and play an instrument?

“What keeps many people from playing, especially popular instruments like piano, is that they never get proficient enough at reading notes to play easily,” says Scott Houston, the “Piano Guy” and host of an Emmy-winning Public Television how-to show. A better approach, he says, and one that works for both beginners and experienced music readers, is to focus on chords and interpretation, rather than reading note-for-note.

“This method is effective for both trained and untrained recreational players,” he says. “It’s not unusual for recreational players to feel frustrated and even stressed if traditional music training isn’t working for them, or they’re not progressing as quickly as they’d like. This approach allows you to tap the health-enhancing and stress-relieving benefits of recreational music making quickly and easily.”

The key to Houston’s method is to teach you how to read a “lead sheet,” a kind of “shorthand” professional musicians use to queue them to a song’s melody line and the chords that accompany it. Because it’s a very simple form of music notation, lead sheets allow you to learn a song faster and put more creativity and interpretation into how you play. Actually creating music, rather than just playing notes, imparts an “artist’s high.

“Most people who want to learn to play piano simply want to do so for their own enjoyment,” he says. “Of all the things I do throughout my day, nothing is more enjoyable than to just sit down and play a tune.”

“Learning to play the piano is not only healthy for you, it’s just plain fun and can be attained quickly using the right techniques.