Did You Know...?

Your IMMUNE SYSTEM IS BOOSTED AFTER A MASSAGE! 

COLD AND FLU SEASON GOT YOU SNEEZING?             1/31/2018

Now, don’t take that as an excuse to sneeze in strangers’ faces. You expel 100,000 germs from your nasal cavity every time you sneeze, and at a breathless 100 kilometers per hour! It’s best to shoot those germs into a tissue or, if one isn’t available, into the crook of your elbow. Doctors do not advise sneezing into your hands, as that’s a great way to get other people sick. Yuck!

But if sneezes are so packed with germs, why are doctors telling us not to plug our noses? There are 3 very good reasons why…

1. It Can Break Your Ear Drums: Yes, you read that right. Holding in a sneeze can actually rupture your ear drums. According to Dr. Allison Woodall, an audiologist at the University of Arkansas, “Prior to a sneeze, a significant amount of air pressure builds in the lungs in preparation of being forced through the nasal cavity to clear irritants out of the nasal passages.” When you remember that air’s coming out at a brisk 100 mph, it’s less of a surprise that pinching your nose or holding your mouth closed can damage your sinuses. Blocking a sneeze can direct the pressurized air back into the middle ear cavity. As Dr. Woodall told UAMS, “This type of trauma to the membranous structures of the middle and inner ear has caused sudden severe sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss and even vertigo.”
2. It Can Perforate Your Throat: If you enjoy eating solid food, don’t hold in your sneezes. That was a hard lesson learned by the subject of a recent BMJ case report. The unnamed British man spent two weeks in the hospital after pinching off a vigorous sneeze. When his throat began to swell, he took himself to the hospital where physicians discovered a perforation in his soft tissue. “This 34-year-old chap said he was always trying to hold his sneeze because he thinks it is very unhygienic to sneeze into the atmosphere or into someone’s face. That means he’s been holding his sneezes for the last 30 years or so, but this time it was different,” explained Dr. Wanding Yang, who authored the report. Thankfully, the man did not require surgery…but he did spend seven days eating through a tube. A serious injury like this is rare, but it’s not the only way a sneeze can ruin your day. Urban legends may claim that holding in a sneeze will cause a stroke or pop a kidney, and while neither is true, people have injured their diaphragms, ruptured blood vessels in their eyes, and even ruptured blood vessels in their brains.
3. It Can Make You Sicker: Sneezing might already be a sign that you’re sick, but bottling it up can just make you sicker. When you’re under the weather, your snot turns yellow or green as a result of infection. It’s an obvious signal that your body wants to get that gunk out of its system! “By stifling a sneeze, you could push infected mucus through the Eustachian tube and back into the middle ear,” says Dr. Rachel Szekely, an immunologist at the Department of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine at Cleveland Clinic. “You can get middle ear infections because of that.”

So what should you do if you feel that tickle between your nostrils? Grab a tissue and let it go, let it go, don’t hold it back anymore! 

Sneezes are big and powerful...AND Gross! Watch this simple yet informative video below!

Resources

Three reasons why holding a sneeze is bad for your health. (2018, January 22). Retrieved from http://www.naturalwellness.com/nwupdate/3-reasons-why-holding-in-a-sneeze-is-bad-for-your-health/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=nwu185&utm_medium=email&button

operation ouch. [Operation Ouch]. (2016, December, 31). Sneezing, biology facts for kids [Video File]. Retrieved from URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=49&v=D3HHGihRsoQ

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MASSAGE IS GOOD FOR YOU!!                                              12/26/2017

We all know how amazing a massage can be! Most of us have heard that massage can relieve muscle pain and stiffness, reduce stress and anxiety and even promote sleep. Have you heard that researchers from Colorado State University and the University of Kentucky made a recent discovery that massage can help promote the regrowth of muscle tissue after injury?

Those results were seen in rats who had muscle damage, but now studies are being conducted on humans and results are expected to have similar results. 

Read the full article on this new and exciting research here from Spa Executive magazine

*****************************************HAPPY HOLIDAYS! ********************************************

We know the benefits of massage in terms of increasing circulation, releases toxins and helps our muscles relax and can reduce blood pressure etc. But how much do you really know about the reasons NOT to receive a massage!

Since massage releases toxins from the muscles into the bloodstream the effects of alcohol become heightened after a massage, and not in a pleasant way!The overload of toxins in the bloodstream puts an additional strain on the liver beyond just drinking the dehydrating alcohol.

Because massage supports increased blood flow, drinking alcohol before a massage is not recommended. In fact, most well trained massage therapists and spas have a “no service” policy for parties where alcohol is being served. Of course it is each person’s obligation to manage their health so keep in mind even two glasses of wine has an effect on the body; add in a massage and the outcome might not be such a great experience.

As much as a salon/spa would love to have your business, you can rest assured you are working with an ethical manager who will work with you to help you and your guests enjoy their party AND receive massage at a different time.

In conclusion, massage therapists are always recommending drinking lots of water after a massage. The water is to hydrate and help move toxins out of the body. Stick to water and save the alcohol for another time. Even if a party planner insists on combining alcohol and massage at an event, and you can rest assured they will unknowingly lead guests to an unhealthy outcome, take control... if you want a massage don’t drink and if you want to drink... hold off on the massage.

Here's an article to back up my info :

http://www.integrativehealthcare.org/mt/archives/2013/02/alcohol-and-massage-a-dangerous-combination.html