Raynaud’s disease is caused by episodic vasospasms (attacks) of the peripheral arteries during changes of cold weather or stress (Carrasco 2008). The hands and feet turn a bluish/purple from lack of circulation which causes the limbs to feel cold. Vasodilation will occur quickly and result in the extremities feeling hot and painful (Carrasco 2008). Non pharmaceutical treatments for Raynaud’s disease include acupuncture, massage therapy, and nitric oxide, which test the duration (Appiah 1997, Tucker 1999, Walton 2007). Massage therapy and nitric oxide prove to decrease the duration, but acupuncture does not (Appiah 1997, Tucker 1999, Walton 2007).
Massage therapy is used to treat Raynaud’s disease by treating the fascia tissue of the affected and surrounding areas (Walton 2007). Tension is provoked with chronic conditions or stress that causes the pliability of the fascia to diminish which causes restriction on the blood flow to the limbs. Any restriction in one area of the fascia can hinder blood flow in other regions. Waltons et al. (2007) used massage therapy in a six week study of a female patient with Raynaud’s disease. This study was done in the winter months when Raynaud’s disease effects are at their peak (Walton 2007). Data on daily habits was acquired for three weeks for post therapy comparison. The patient then received five, 45 minute massage therapy treatments for three weeks. The massages focused on the fascia in the arms, neck and back. Massage therapy was found to decrease duration of vasospasms and pain (Walton 2007).
Nitric oxide and massage therapy are both non-pharmaceutical treatments that limit the duration of Raynaud’s disease (Tucker 1999, Walton 2007). Tucker et al. (1999) 20 subjects participated in a wint...
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Works Cited
Appiah R, Hiller S, Caspary L, Alexander K, Creutzig A. 1997. Treatment of primary Raynaud’s syndrome with traditional Chinese acupuncture. Journal of Internal Medicine. 241:119-124.
Carrasco et al. 2008. Treatment of Raynaud’s phenomenon. Autimmunity Reviews. 8:62-68.
Mahler F, Saner H, Wurbel H, Flammer J. 1989. Local cooling test for clinical capillaroscopy in Raynaud’s phenomenon, unstable angina, and vasospastic visual disorders. Vasa 18:201-204.
Tucker A, Pearson R, Cooke E, Benjamin N. 1999. Effect of nitric-oxide-generating system on microcirculatory blood flow in skin of patients with severe Raynaud’s syndrome: a randomized trial. Science 354(1):1670-1675.
Walton A. 2007. Efficacy of myofascial release techniques in the treatment of primary Raynaud’s phenomenon. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. 12:274-280.
There are various methods of diagnosing Raydaund syndrome. Cold water emersion is one method. In this method, patients’ hands are immersed in cold water to observe any clinical features. Another mode of diagnosis looks at medical conditions that are associated with Raynaud syndrome, such as CTD, scleroderma, and lupus. A third technique includes physical examination of the ulnar and radial vessels, nail folds in the capillaries, presence of digital inflammation, sclerodactyly (sleroderma, hardening of the skin, of the fingers and toes), or telangiectasia (chronic dilation of groups of capillaries
In the United States 54 million people have a disability and only 15 percent were born with a disability (Jaeger & Bowman, 2005). If a person lives long enough, it is statistically likely that they will develop some kind of disability in their advancing years (Jaeger & Bowman, 2005). At some point in your life you could have experience a fractured bone, a minor cut, or had some type of surgery. Imagine after some minor injury that you may not even remember and then experiencing a constant pain so agonizing that no amount of pain medication can make you comfortable (Lang & Moskovitz, 2003). Some additional symptoms that you may also experience are severe burning pain, changes in bone and skin, excessive sweating, tissue swelling and extreme sensitivity to touch (Juris, 2005). These symptoms are associated with a disease that is called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) but more recently termed as complex regional pain syndrome, type 1 (CRPS 1) (Juris, 2005). For simplification purposes this disease will be referred to as RSD throughout this paper.
Nielsen, A., Knoblauch, N. T., Dobos, G. J., Michalsen, A., & Kaptchuk, T. J. (2007). The effect of gua sha treatment on the microcirculation of surface tissue: A pilot study in healthy subjects. Explore (New York, N.Y.), 3(5), 456-466. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2007.06.001
Any condition that causes swelling or a change in position of the tissue within the carpal tunnel can squeeze and irritate the median nerve, which causes tingling and numbness of the thumb, index, and the middle fingers, a condition known as "carpal tunnel syndrome" (Nidus Information Systems, 2001). All people can be affected by CTS, but it is most common among women between the ages of 29 and 62. Though medical awareness of CTS as a widespread and treatable condition is only a recent phenomenon, current treatments are mostly effective in relieving symptoms (The Hand Center, 2004).
During the early 1900s, the practice of medical science became accepted in our society. Many of the Swedish massage was mingled in with those of medical doctors and medical practices. (A type of “mechano-therapy” emerged of a combination with other therapist preformed by a physician or a nurse’s assistant.) Over time, these practices were absorbed into what would be general medicine. In the 1920s Masseurs and Masseuses had lost most of their market to doctors. They mainly found work with wealthy individuals who wanted a general, relaxing form of massage. After World War ll, a group of massage operators formed the American Association of Masseurs and Masseuses. This later became the forerunner of today’s American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). The goal of these associations is to raise the status of massage as a unique and effective treatment for healing. In the 1980s the AMTA was formed. The first thing they did was establish a code of ethics and change their titles from masseurs and masseuses to massage therapist. Now the profession of massage is enjoying renewed vigor and influence in alternative medicine. Recent trends have pointed the continuing promise and growth of massage therapy as a health care career.
Touch is as essential to a healthy and happy life as eating right, getting proper sleep, and exercising. With the world growing more technological, the need for healthy human contact is more important than ever. Massage and body therapies are an age old healing refuge for us in this fast-paced, stressed-out world. The practice of massage therapy is rapidly growing in the United States. It has so much to offer and is becoming more widely accepted by doctors and the general public. Massage is touching another person by such movements as rubbing, kneading, pressing, rolling, slapping, and tapping. This type of therapy provides circulation of the blood and lymph, relaxation of muscles, relief from pain, restoration of metabolic balance, and many other benefits both physical and mental. There is much historical evidence to indicate that massage is one of the earliest remedies for pain relief and for the restoration of a healthy body. It is said to be the most natural and instinctive means of relieving pain and discomfort. Massage has proven to be an effective method for treating many conditions for thousands of years and it will continue to be used for thousands of years to come. Massage therapy is a great treatment for the body and soul.
Mendelson G, Selwood TS, Kranz H, Loh TS, Kidson MA, Scott Ds. (1983). Acupuncture treatment of chronic back pain. A double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Medicine, 741), 49-55.
This is when pressure is applied to the hands or feet by a thumb technique with no lotion. There are different points on the feet are related to different parts of the body. It has been shown that reflexology helps with pain and stiffness in Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferers. The patients also claim that due to reflexology they have used less painkillers and generally feel healthier.
+Pain - One study shows that home-based cupping is beneficial in treating neck pain.[2] Wet cupping reduced the intensity and frequency of migraines in a study conducted on 70 individuals.[3] Another study on dry cupping presents that it relieved symptoms of knee
What is massage therapy you might ask? The title for it explains almost the entire career. Massage therapist help their customers by using the manipulative skill of touching to relieve pain stress, and many other discomforting factors. As the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2014) state, therapists help rehabilitate injuries, improve circulation, relieve stress, increase relaxation, and aid in the general wellness of clients. Therapists also soften issues of the body and knead muscles. They promote general wellness and provide treatment for injuries. Massage therapists may use lotions and oils and massage tables or chairs as Bureau of Labor Statistics (2014) writes. Massages can last as short as 5-10 minutes or even longer than an hour. These are
Last accessed 19th March 2014. Riehl, S. (2009). The 'Secondary'. Lymphatic Drainage Technique -. Available at: https://www.realbodywork.com/articles/lymph_technieque.html.
According to reflexologists, stress, fatigue, illness, toxins, and inactivity are harmful influences on the body that can be healed through reflexology treatment. Reflexologists believe that the body can be divided into ten zones, five on each half of the body. In each zone, impulses and reflexes travel until they reach nerve endings in the feet and the hands. These zones are believed to be meridians along which energy flows. Placing pressure on the nerve endings in the hands and the feet will effect the organs found in that particular zone (http://www.reflexology.org/aor/refinfo/healart.htm). As well as longitudinal zones throughout the body, there are also cross-reflex points. These cross-reflex points are corresponding points on the opposite side of the body which can be useful in administering reflexology treatment when pressure i...
The arteries supply blood rich in oxygen to the body, the veins direct deoxygenated blood from the capillaries back to the heart. These roles make up the circulatory function. Blood flow through these blood vessels can be disrupted resulting in peripheral vascular diseases. These diseases occur as a result of narrowing or blocking of the blood vessels. The risk factors of peripheral vascular diseases include diabetes, smoking, high level of cholesterol, overweight, high blood pressure etc. these risk factors result to aneurysms, Raynaud’s diseases, Buerger’s disease, renal artery disease etc. With this diseases, the peripheral vascular system should be assessed to enable nurses and other health personnel make good
Massage Therapy The practice of massage therapy is rapidly growing in the United States. It has numerous benefits to offer and is becoming more widely accepted as a medical practice by doctors and the general public. Massage is defined as: …the systematic manual or mechanical manipulations of the soft tissues of the body by such movements as rubbing, kneading, pressing, rolling, slapping, and tapping, for therapeutic purposes such as promoting circulation of the blood and lymph, relaxation of muscles, relief from pain, restoration of metabolic balance, and other benefits both physical and mental (Beck 3). There is much historical evidence to indicate that massage is one of the earliest remedies for pain relief and for the restoration of a healthy body.
Massage is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Not only does it help relieve tension and stress, it improves your circulation and helps detoxify your lymphatic system. It also helps treat digestive disorders, anxiety, depression, anger, and grief.