Massage Essays (1358 words) - Manual Therapy, Massage Therapy

Massage My discovery of massage therapy's healing powers resulted directly from trying to break a friend's ribs. I was taking my first kickboxing class, and Hugh, a two-year veteran of the sport, encouraged me to try my roundhouse kick on him a bit faster and harder. Who could pass up such an invitation? Crouched down, I swivelled my body and, with venom, kicked the punching bag he was holding. It felt good. Next I went for the kill, and connected so high and fast that I ripped my hip muscles. That was sixteen months ago, and while the muscle tears quickly healed, every time I worked out hard or got stressed out, my thigh and back muscles seized up. About eight months ago my chiropractor, concerned at how often my hip was being pulled out of alignment with my spine, suggested massage therapy for giving the muscles a much needed vacation. The healing effects of touch have been celebrated since they were first documented some 2,000 years ago in the ancient Chinese text The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine. Today massage therapy is one of the most popular forms of unconventional medicine in the United States and massage therapists are licensed in roughly half the states. Specific injuries aside, the greatest cause of muscle aches is everyday emotional stress. What we don't realize is that our tissues have a memory, says Thomas Claire, a trained shiatsu therapist and the author of the massage-therapy book, Bodywork. Our feelings get lodged in our muscles and tissues, and in turn, pain and discomfort result in disharmony in the body and the mind. This conflict can be seen in both the way muscle pain in one part of the body can aggravate surrounding areas and the effects physical imbalance can have on mind and spirit. Massage therapy aims to return the body to balance and promote health and relaxation. There are more than a hundred varieties of massage practiced in the United States, but they can be divided into roughly two main areas. The first is Western, or Swedish, massage, and it targets the body's muscle and tissue structure. The second, Eastern massage, of which shiatsu and reflexology are the best-known branches, focuses on leveling the body's natural energy.. The Swedish School is named for its nineteenth-century Swedish innovator, Per Heinrik Ling, who sought to relieve the pain he suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. Swedish, or traditional, massage works the muscles to promote relaxation through the release of endorphins and enkephalins. Endorphins and enkephalins are the body's natural painkillers, which are released during strenuous exercise and cause runner's high. The recipient lay naked on a padded table and a towel or a sheet covers the person. Only the part of the body being worked on is exposed. The practitioner uses a series of five basic strokes, administered by the fingers, hands, forearms and elbows, with the help of massage oils or creams. Muscles are freed up throughout the body, increasing blood flow and helping the body purge toxins and deliver nutrients to cells and tissues. Today many structural-massage therapists have customized the Swedish method with their own techniques. I visited a massage therapist named Arthur Tobias, who specializes in deep-tissue therapeutic massage. The session began with Tobias warming up my back and leg muscles with light hand massage through a towel. Then he focused on the major muscles in my back and shoulders with long, deep strokes of his forearm. The harder he worked my back muscles, the more I whimpered to myself in pain. I then melted into the table, as tension tingled out of my muscles. Aware of the discomfort in my hip, Tobias worked my lower back, butt and upper right leg, pinpointing the muscles that were contorted rock solid. After a one-hour session, my body felt completely relaxed and rubbery. Unlike Swedish massage, shiatsu focuses on not only the physical makeup of the muscles and tissues but also the body's energy system. Yes, energy system. As bizarre as that sounds to those of us firmly rooted in a Western way of thinking about the body, Asian medicine maintains that a life-force energy governs our health (chi in Chinese, ki in Japanese) that

Mauna Loa reveiled (Volcanic History) essays

Mauna Loa reveiled (Volcanic History) essays The unique landscape of Hawaii mostly originated form volcanoes. Most of the active volcanoes on earth are discovered around the islands of Hawaii. The island of Hawaii is made up of five volcanoes: Kohala, Mauna Kia, Hulalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilawa . Among these, the enormous volcano, Mauna Loa covers the large area of the island. Though this huge volcano erupts less frequently, its past history, recent eruption and for its significance as the largest volcano on our planet made Mauna Loa a center of attention for the world. Being one of the earths most active volcanoes, Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since 1843. These eruptions have produced lava flows covering 806 km2 of the island of Hawaii. The longest lava flow from the eruption of Mauna Loa was the pa hoe hoe (means ropy or smooth) flow in 1859. This 50 km long lava flow has reached the ocean north of Kiholo Bay on Hawaiis west coast (Fig.1.1) . Another eruption that occurred in 1880-81, has produced a 48 km long pa hoe hoe flows (1). Between 1868 and 1950, five eruptions produced lava flows that have reached the West Coast (Fig.1.1)[2]. One of these eruptions was fissure (crack) eruption started on November 21st, 1935 and ended on January 2nd 1936. Other four eruptions have produced lava flows traveled to the sea in 3 to 48 hours (in less than 3 hours one flow poured into the sea, 15 km away, from the southwest rift zone)[3]. These basaltic, highly fluid lavas caused a great damage to the infrastructure (roadways, buildings etc.) and covered a large area in Hawaii with lava. After the eruption in 1950 Mauna Loa has reawakened in 1975 with a one-day summit (highest point; the top) eruption (2). After that the most recent eruption occurred in 1984. According to the data provided by the scientists of Hawaiian Volcanic Observatory and Mauna Loa Observatory, small earthquakes began at a rate of 2-3 per minute at 10:5...

Essay questions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Questions - Essay Example Moreover, instead of telling children not to speak or keep quiet (negative framing), she says â€Å"we are working quietly† supporting her words with gesture. Kids immediately react to her words and become quiet. 2. Positive framing in use is better to observe on examples. The phrase ‘‘We’re not going to have another day like yesterday, are we, Jason?† is absolutely inappropriate because it only motivates the boy to do the bad thing again makes the teacher look weak and suspicious (Lemov). It is better to say â€Å"It is nice to work with you, Jason†. The phrase â€Å"Just a minute, Jane. Absolutely no one is giving you their full attention except Dyonte and Beth.† shows that teacher is irritated with the class. It is better to say â€Å"Your attention is highly appreciated now. We all like when other people listen to us carefully.† ‘‘I need the tapping to stop.’’ is better to substitute with â€Å"Let’s stop writing for a while and have a little quiet break†. Also it is better to say â€Å"Please, sit up straight, Jasmine† instead of ‘‘I’ve asked you twice to stop slouching, Jasmine!’’ to show positive attitude and good