practice is a therapeutic massage. We address issues the body is having before they develop into something that is chronic,” said Lisa. “I often get referrals from doctors in the area. They could be for patients having chronic issues, like sciatica or neck pain, and even carpal tunnel, or plantar fasciitis. I'm lucky enough to have a network where doctors actually refer their patients as opposed to starting them on medications, or referring them to a surgeon. Often, the patient can avoid surgery altogether. Massage brings blood flow to an area of the body, releasing tension. I can help realign the musculature around the structure of the body. The benefits of massage are not just physical but also mental. Massage therapy
helps people to be able to calm down, and still their minds; to get in touch with their bodies and remember what it feels like to have hands on the body. The human touch can be so powerful for healing in so many ways. I really think of massage as preventative maintenance; preventive medicine.”
Lisa explains, “The most common issue folks in my practice experience are neck and shoulder issues. I believe it’s primarily caused from people working on computers all day. Between looking down at your cell phone or looking at your laptop or looking at your desktop. People are getting rounded shoulders and getting crick's in the neck. They tend to shoot their jaw forward a little bit, which compresses the spine in the neck, when they're looking at a screen. The second issue is sciatic nerve pain because so many people sit all of the time. The human body is not meant to sit like it does. I've read somewhere (I can't remember the exact source) that the human body is designed to walk between eleven and twelve miles a day and if any of us get a mile in on a day we're lucky. Our bodies are not set up to sit all day the way that we are now, so people are suffering for it.”
It's easy to take our bodies for granted. They function without us really having to give much thought to the whole process. Caring for our body, mind and spirit is vital for better health. We are given signs, through symptoms, that something is out of balance. It is up to us to pay attention.
“This is the short version of the journey,” Lisa began. “I was diagnosed with diabetes and did not immediately jump on taking care of that. I wasn't feeling any symptoms; which is the dangerous part of diabetes. I felt just the same, I felt fine, so I ignored it and I did nothing for a long time. Over the years I started to notice a few symptoms like some tingling in my toes. I didn't test my blood sugars. I basically paid no attention. I have finally hit a point now, where I was not feeling as well as I once did, so I went to my doctor and she confirmed the diagnosis of being an active diabetic, and that my blood sugars were fairly high.”
“She referred me to an
“I really think of massage as preventative maintenance; preventive medicine,” said Lisa Wamsley, CMT, LMT
26 | ElementsForAHealthierLife.com | August 2016