Portland Deep Tissue Massage

503-347-7668

Portland, Oregon is a wonderful place to live. At Portland Deep Tissue Massage, our therapists help the wonderful people who live in Portland, Oregon by alleviating muscle tension and stress is much more than just a career; its a chance to enrich lives by helping every day.

As Portland massage therapists, our calling in life is to find where it hurts and make the pain melt away. Call us today to begin the process of relieving stress while caring for your whole person. Our massage therapy clients report deep relaxation, a noticeable reduction in muscle cramps and a great deal less overall tension combined with a sense of calm well-being.

It is our firm belief that if more people took advantage of all that massage therapy has to offer then the entire world would be a better place.

Goals of Massage Therapy

Massage treatments aim to:

* Develop, maintain, rehabilitate or augment physical function - Massage therapy has become a staple of many professional athletes’ training regimens. But not just athletes. Lifestyle factors, such as long work hours or physically taxing tasks, lead many members of the workforce to seek the assistance of a massage therapist. A seemingly minor injury can have a profound impact on a person’s ability to stay physically active, participate fully in life, or even make a living if it becomes chronic. Massage therapy can be one of the ways of preventing that kind of outcome.
* Relieve or prevent physical dysfunction and pain - Some massage therapy techniques are specifically recommended for sore muscle tissues. An overly sore muscle cannot function properly. By alleviating or preventing pain, dysfunction can be combated.
* Relax tight and tense muscles - Many people don’t realize how much a tight muscle impacts on vital things such as posture. A tense muscle can throw off your body’s balance. Before long, muscles that were not initially tight begin to tense as they compensate for other parts of the body. It becomes a chain reaction that can spread far from the initial problem spot. A talented massage therapist can identify the source of the problem and start working to alleviate the problem where it started.
* Improve circulation, recovery time and immune system function - The movements of massage cause blood to flush in and out of muscles and joints. This flushing process - enhancing circulation in the affected areas - can, in some cases, aid recovery time from injuries.
* Reduce overall stress - We’re all becoming more aware of the role stress plays in health. People who are stressed, all other things being equal, are less healthy than people who are relaxed. Stress, for example, increases the risk of heart disease. Massage therapy is an effective and enjoyable way to reduce stress.

Mental Benefits of Massage Therapy

Mental Benefits of Massage Therapy

• Fosters peace of mind

• Promotes a relaxed state of mental alertness

• Helps relieve mental stress

• Improves ability to monitor stress signals and respond appropriately

• Enhances capacity for calm thinking and creativity

• Emotional Benefits

• Satisfies needs for caring nurturing touch

• Fosters a feeling of well-being

• Reduces levels of anxiety

• Creates body awareness

• Increases awareness of mind-body connection

Physical Benefits of Massage Therapy

Physical Benefits of Therapeutic Massage

• Helps relieve stress and aids relaxation

• Helps relieve muscle tension and stiffness

• Alleviates discomfort during pregnancy

• Fosters faster healing of strained muscles and sprained ligaments; reduces pain and swelling; reduces formation of excessive scar tissue

• Reduces muscle spasms

• Provides greater joint flexibility and range of motion

• Enhances athletic performance; Treats injuries caused during sport or work

• Promotes deeper and easier breathing

• Improves circulation of blood and movement of lymph fluids

• Reduces blood pressure

• Helps relieve tension-related headaches and effects of eye-strain

• Enhances the health and nourishment of skin

• Improves posture

• Strengthens the immune system

• Treats musculoskeletal problems

• Rehabilitation post operative

• Rehabilitation after injury

Benefits of Massage Therapy

Medical school students at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School who were massaged before an exam showed a significant decrease in anxiety and respiratory rates, as well as a significant increase in white blood cells and natural killer cell activity, suggesting a benefit to the immune system.
bullet Preliminary results suggested cancer patients had less pain and anxiety after receiving therapeutic massage at the James Cancer Hospital and Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio.
bullet Women who had experienced the recent death of a child were less depressed after receiving therapeutic massage, according to preliminary results of a study at the University of South Carolina.

Studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have found massage beneficial in improving weight gain in HIV-exposed infants and facilitating recovery in patients who underwent abdominal surgery. At the University of Miami School of Medicine's Touch Research Institute, researchers have found that massage is helpful in decreasing blood pressure in people with hypertension, alleviating pain in migraine sufferers and improving alertness and performance in office workers.

An increasing number of research studies show massage reduces heart rate, lowers blood pressure, increases blood circulation and lymph flow, relaxes muscles, improves range of motion, and increases endorphins (enhancing medical treatment). Although therapeutic massage does not increase muscle strength, it can stimulate weak, inactive muscles and, thus, partially compensate for the lack of exercise and inactivity resulting from illness or injury. It also can hasten and lead to a more complete recovery from exercise or injury.

Research has verified that:
bullet Office workers massaged regularly were more alert, performed better and were less stressed than those who weren't massaged.
bullet Massage therapy decreased the effects of anxiety, tension, depression, pain, and itching in burn patients.
bullet Abdominal surgery patients recovered more quickly after massage.
bullet Premature infants who were massaged gained more weight and fared better than those who weren't.
bullet Autistic children showed less erratic behavior after massage therapy.

According AMTA, massage helps both physically and mentally.

Some Things To Know About The Immune System By Dr. Jeffrey Dougal D.C., L.M.T.

Our immune system keeps our bodies defended against foreign invaders such as viruses. Sometimes our immune systems turn against us and causes problems, problems like allergies and rheumatoid arthritis (autoimmune disease).

There are parts of our bodies that do not have immune protection. For example the nervous system, which is prone to attack from herpes viruses, and our reproductive system. Our reproductive system cannot attack foreign invaders because technically, a human fetus is a foreign invader, who is part of the mother, and part foreign – the father. A baby is also not unlike a tumor.

When one of our body tissues gets into a place that it is not supposed to be, it can cause an unwanted immune reaction e.g. An ulcer lets cells from other parts of the body e.g. the stomach, into the blood, and can lead to auto immune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Our immune system can also over-react, as in the case of allergies. One thing that can dramatically help allergies, or other autoimmune problems is to decrease the amount of inflammation and irritation in the body. This could be done with aspirin, or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), which may lead to stomach problems, such as ulcers, and ultimately make the problem worse.

A better alternative is natural anti-inflammatories. Use fish oil, an anti-inflammatory diet, willow bark tea, omega 3 oils… Also, drinking a lot of water helps flush out inflammation. Most importantly, I believe with all my heart and mind that it is necessary to get regular massage, at least once a month. I cannot stress how important this is.

All cells of your body eat, drink, and breath oxygen, just like you do as a macro-organism. Also, every cell eliminates waste, and breaths out carbon dioxide, just like you do.

Reflexology By Dr. Jeffrey Dougal D.C., L.M.T.

Published in Healthy Living Magazine. June/July 2008)

It is believed that points on the hands, feet, and ears may beneficially stimulate a specific other part of the body (see fig. 1). Evidence of this type of treatment date back to almost 3000 B.C. However, by more modern and scientific thought, we could say that it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which stimulates healing and normalizes functions throughout all of the body.

Also, the toxins in our body are gravity dependent, and therefore sink down in the body. e.g. if a bruise is bad enough, you can watch it move down the body as it heals. So, many toxins end up in our feet and calves (also our buttocks if we sit a lot). Breaking up the toxins in the feet allows them to be eliminated by the body, and makes us feel better and more energetic.

The human body has several nervous systems. Most people are familiar with the central and peripheral nervous systems. In addition, we have a sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.

The sympathetic nervous system kicks on in times of stress. Stress is known as fight or flight in nature. In times of stress, all systems unnecessary for fight or flight are shut down.

Imagine an encounter with a dangerous animal. You don’t need to digest, reproduce, or filter blood for toxins (urinary system) to get away from the animal. So, all those systems are shut down and the blood is moved out of them and used to take oxygen from your lungs to your muscles. In addition, blood is removed from your skin in case you get cut from the animal or the brush while running away. With the blood removed from all these systems, your blood pressure will go up. This blood is used by the body to go between the muscles and the lungs, thereby getting oxygen to the lungs.

In nature, these situations last a short time. We humans get stressed out for hours, days, weeks, months and years at a time. You can imagine how these systems being shut down leads to health problems, caused by stress. e.g. ulcers, indigestion, colitis, kidney stones, endometriosis, acne… Pretty much any organ that has anything to do with the systems that are shut down.

Stimulation of the parasympathetic immune system through reflexology (massage too) causes a healing of all the organs involved in the systems that were damaged by stress. The above scientific explanation clearly states how many conditions can be cured with massage and reflexology.

Problems That Can Be Treated By Chiropractic and Massage Dr. Jeffrey Dougal D.C., L.M.T.

Problems That Can Be Treated By Chiropractic and Massage Dr. Jeffrey Dougal D.C., L.M.T.


Chiropractic can successfully treat the following disorders:

Acute and Chronic Head, Neck, and Back Pain: e.g. migraine and other headaches, jaw pain/TMJ, auto accident/ whiplash injuries, sinus trouble, sore throats, herniated discs in the back and neck.

Extremity Pain and Dysfunction: e.g. hand/arm/leg numbness/tingling, arm pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica.

Repetitive Use Injuries: e.g. Carpal Tunnel, DeQuervain's Disease, Tarsal Tunnel, joint pain. If this occurred from work, then we can bill your Worker’s Compensation Insurance for this – Everybody has this type of insurance if they are working.

Work Related Injuries: e.g. Repetitive stress injuries, work accidents – such as strains and sprains occurring while at work. We can bill your Worker’s Compensation Insurance for this – Everybody has this type of insurance if they are working.

Injuries from Motor Vehicle Accidents: We can bill insurance for this.

Sports Injuries: e.g. Hamstring sprain/strain, tennis elbow, golfers elbow, ankle sprains…

Other conditions which may be treated by Chiropractic include: allergies, fibromyalgia, anxiety attacks, chest pain, colds & flu, constipation, depression, diarrhea, difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping, ear infections, endometriosis, high blood pressure, hyperactivity, hypertension, impotence, indigestion, infertility, intestinal disorders, irritability, menstrual problems, PMS, stress,

Please make note that some of these symptoms could be caused by an underlying problem that needs a referral to a chiropractic or medical specialist. That’s why Chiropractors undergo roughly the same basic education as a medical doctor – to make sure you get the proper diagnosis and best treatment for what’s ailing you.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) By Dr. Jeffrey Dougal D.C., L.M.T.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) By Dr. Jeffrey Dougal D.C., L.M.T.

CTS can be easily treated without drugs or surgery. I’m not saying that it will always work, but neither does surgery. In fact, one question about CTS surgery is “does CTS surgery really work?” or did the 12 weeks off from work help the CTS.

The carpal (wrist) bones are situated at the distal (far) end of the radius and the ulna. When the forearm muscles get tight they pull the carpal bones up between the radius and ulna. There is a tendon that attaches them called the flexor retinaculum. When the carpal bones force the radius and ulna apart, the flexor retinaculum is stretched tightly across the median nerve and cuts off the blood supply to the nerve.

The forearm muscles get tight usually from some kind of work the hands are doing. Muscles get really tight when we hold them tight without moving them. Remember the old manual type writers. People didn’t get carpal tunnel from those because a person had to swing their whole forearm down to strike the key hard enough to make it strike.

Some people think that buying a pad that goes in front of the keyboard will help with their carpal tunnel from typing on a computer. But that won’t work in most cases because people have trouble relaxing their forearm muscles even if they are resting on a pad.]

So, the way to treat CTS is to massage and stretch the muscles of the forearm. It is also necessary to pull the carpal bones out from between the radius and ulna. This is a type of Chiropractic adjustment that you can easily be trained to do to yourself. Of course the wrist and elbow joints affect each other, and both should be adjusted.

Massage Techniques and Benefits

In Sydney Australia, new massage techniques combined with technology are benefiting Peter Cutland's Wellness Support clients. A longer, more pleasurable life are the main benefits!

Massage is simple, non-intrusive therapy which restores, rehabilitates and revitalises your body and mind. Anyone of any age for almost any condition can use and benefit from massage.

Massage therapy eases the pain and discomfort of injuries, strains, accidents and illness to allow the body's natural healing processes to work most effectively.

It enhances your vitality and sense of well-being.

There are different forms of massage therapy, each requiring a very sound knowledge of Anatomy and Physiology.

Therapeutic Massage is defined as the mobilisation of soft tissue to restore balance to the body. It can be stimulating or soothing, depending on the type of techniques applied. Done by a qualified practitioner, it is a relaxing, safe and effective way to restore balance and harmony to the mind and body.

Remedial Massage is the use of massage and diagnostic techniques to treat a wide variety of conditions. Remedial massage is beneficial to the nervous, circulatory and muscular systems of the body, giving relief to chronic pain, musculo-skeletal problems, general relaxation and treatment of injuries.

Aromatherapy Massage is the treatment by the application of Essential Oils to enhance the positive effects achieved by its own specialised form of massage. This method of amalgamation of movements developed in China, India, Persia and France. The Oils are the concentrated 'essences' of plants and act to mediate all the activities of plant life and also work spectacularly for us.

Chinese " Acu-pressure Massage" is the manual therapy aspect of Chinese medicine. It works with the power and sensitivity of human touch to stimulate specific potent and healing areas of the body via energy meridian. - Acu-point-system. It can be effectively applied to revitalise the body's own recuperative power to most functional or structural disorders.

How does massage work?

Massage therapy assists in restoring the normal functioning of your muscle, nerve, circulatory, skin, connective tissue, digestive, and lymphatic systems, enabling your body and mind to heal itself.

Massage by a skilled therapist works because it:

1. Releases muscular spasm and tension
2. Stimulates local blood supply
3. Increases nutrient supply to your body tissues
4. Reduces fluid retention and swelling
5. Helps elimination of bodily toxic waste
6. Enhances the efficient functioning of your skin
7. Re-organises the connective tissue system.
8. Increases flexibility
9. Increases mobility
10.Improves sense of well-being

How will you benefit from massage?

The benefits of massage are universal. You may experience:

· Reduced stress and tension
· Improved circulation
· Less aches and pains
· Greater muscle relaxation
· Reduced risk of injury
· Improved muscular performance
· Increased freedom of movement and co-ordination
· A healthier body and mind

How Can I Make The Best Use of Massage In Sydney Australia?

You may use massage to help in the healing and managing of:

· Stress and stress related illness
· Back pain
· Headaches
· Getting fit and healthy
· Sports injuries
· Sinus
· Insomnia
· Emotional trauma
· Over-use injuries

and much, much more.

Gentle massage affects the nervous system through nerve endings in the skin, stimulating the release of endorphins, the body's natural 'feel good' chemicals, to help induce relaxation and a sense of well-being, to relieve pain and reduce levels of stress chemicals such as cortisol and noradrenaline. It helps reverse the damaging effects of stress by slowing heart rate, respiration and metabolism and lowering raised blood pressure.

Stronger massage stimulates blood circulation to improve the supply of oxygen and nutrients to body tissues and helps the lymphatic system to flush away waste products. It eases tense and knotted muscles and stiff joints, improving mobility and flexibility.

Regular massage reduces the residual tension you carry about with you.

Portland Massage Therapy

Massage Therapy with Bamboo

Bamboo-fusion massage therapy is the latest and greatest spa treatment to hit the industry in years! It is easy to implement and the massage therapy training can easily be provided at your location to minimize travel for your staff, thus keeping expenses to a minimum.

Massage therapy training classes are readily available across the country specializing in warm bamboo massage. Bamboo-fusion has been featured in top spa magazines and trade publications making massage training for bamboo massage in high demand.

Nathalie Cecilia, originally from Nimes, South France is the original source in the United States for a brand new spa treatment she calls Bamboo-fusion. This trademarked treatment is in high demand by luxury spas and is gaining in popularity. Ms. Cecilia uses bamboo pieces cut into different shapes and sizes as extensions of her fingers during a massage treatment. She also "warms" the bamboo to allow the bamboo pieces to penetrate and relax the muscles quicker.

She originally discovered this form of massage during a massage treatment where the client kept requesting "deeper pressure" on his upper trapezius (shoulders). At a little over 5' and only 100 lbs, Nathalie began to experience pain in her hands within only 2 months of doing traditional massage. As a Thai therapist, Nathalie sometimes did back walking while using bamboo poles that are 6 feet in length for balance. "As I was working on this gentleman who was in a sitting position, my eyes caught the two bamboo poles that I used for balance when back walking. I had the idea to use one of the poles for tapotement on his upper trapezius. So I stood about six feet from him, tapping on his shoulders with this very long stick, and he told me it felt really great!"

Small repetitive movements performed by the massage therapist when doing traditional massage can result in repetitive use injuries such as carpel tunnel. With the Bamboo-fusion massage, the bamboo tools allow the massage therapist to easily address deep pressure requests. Ms. Cecilia explains that she has noticed that after a few bamboo massage treatments, the client's skin can actually become more supple.

In 2004, shortly after becoming a massage therapist, Ms Cecilia first started using bamboo and rattan tools to perform a flowing Swedish type massage. Imagine a skilled therapist using warmed bamboo to dissolve knots and tension throughout your body. These hand crafted tools are custom designed so that even the smallest therapist can give an effective deep tissue massage that is easy on their body, hands and wrists. This ecologically sound and sustainable product is currently made by skilled woodworkers, however when Ms. Cecilia first began bamboo massage, she actually made the pieces herself by hand.

Her bamboo tool sets have evolved over the past few years and are now made with 100% solid bamboo which is pressed into different shapes and sizes to match her Bamboo-fusion massage routine. The new bamboo tool sets, designed for full body massage, hold heat well and are very comfortable for the therapist to use. In addition to making bamboo sets that are commercially available, she also offers massage therapy training to other massage therapists. Her massage training offering for top quality professional massage training is well received by high end spas that need to offer unique treatments to their discriminating client base.

"There is a beautiful quality to the material; both you and the client feel very energized and revitalized, but also more relaxed." Her technique uses massage oil or cream when performing a full body massage on a client. Shorter pieces of bamboo work well for smaller areas such as around the scapula. A 16" bamboo stick is also used to knead the muscles and do a "criss-cross" technique that stretches the fascia in all directions.

Unlike warm stone massage, the bamboo is easy to heat without the use of a roaster or crock pot. In the heating device she uses, the bamboo stays warm (which of course the clients love), and there is little clean up between sessions. During the Bamboo-fusion massage training classes, we also offer suggestions to incorporate the use of a few hot stones into the treatment for those that desire to mix bamboo and stones.

As therapists and clients continually search for new approaches to massage therapy, bamboo is at the forefront of the industry, offering the most basic solution. The use of a renewable and sustainable resource that connects us to ancient times allows our modern need for deep tissue massage to be addressed. Nathalie is the pioneer of bamboo massage and is a leader in the massage and bodywork industry. Massage therapy training in bamboo massage is great for seasoned massage therapists or for those in school or new to the industry. Massage therapy training classes in bamboo massage can be held just about anywhere. The bamboo sets are very lightweight and easy to carry making the massage training classes portable.

Many Asian countries treat bamboo with great reverence since it has played a significant role in feeding and housing them. It is very common for bamboo to be used in making musical and surgical instruments, furniture, eating utensils and storage baskets in addition to hundreds of other uses.

Bamboo is a highly renewable (sustainable) resource and boasts more than 1500 different species that grow naturally throughout most Asian countries in addition to South and Central America. The Chinese and Japanese have used bamboo since ancient times; however is just now becoming main-stream in the American culture.

In the United States, bamboo is primarily symbolic and is gaining in popularity due to the fact that it is a highly renewable resource. It is also beautiful and considered "lucky" by many people that possess bamboo stalks commonly arranged in a small vase. Many high end resorts and spas are now decorating with bamboo in the form of flooring, furniture, and artwork. Clothing and linens made of bamboo fibers are also very popular. Top resorts and spas take this a step further and incorporate bamboo into their spa menus as part of a new exotic treatment that feels luxurious. The massage therapy training class covers all aspects of implementation, ranging from the initial massage training to writing a description for your spa menu.

Nathalie and her team of instructors are in high demand by individual therapists and spas/resorts seeking massage training in this new effective treatment using bamboo. To address this demand, Bamboo-fusion massage therapy training classes are offered in various locations in the United States and are approved by the state of Florida and the NCBTMB for Continuing Education (CE's) for license renewal. Classes are offered at several training facilities on a regular basis in Sarasota, Florida where Nathalie resides, as well as taught in Everett, Durham, and Cincinnati. She also offers onsite massage therapy training at spas and resorts across the country.

In addition to massage therapy workshops, Cecilia also offers DVD's and specialized bamboo sets for each of her techniques which are for use on the table for full body massage and on the chair through clothing. In addition, Ms Cecilia just created a new French facial massage called Bamboo-Visage which utilizes a delicate tool set hand crafted from bamboo and rattan. This treatment was introduced at a recent spa show in Las Vegas and intrigued massage therapists as well as estheticians and spa directors.

Just ask yourself these simple questions:
* Do you need training in massage?
* Do you need training in massage using a tool?
* Do you need training in massage using heat to help warm the muscles?
* Do you need training in massage that is easy on your hands and wrists?
* Do you need training in massage for either deep tissue or relaxation massage treatments?
* Do you need training in massage to earn CE's?
* Do you need training in massage to help your practice blossom?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you need training in massage with Bamboo-fusion.

Portland Massage

Portland Massage Therapy

Portland Deep Tissue Massage and Chiropractic Services

Call (503) 347-7668 for massage and chiropractic services in Portland Oregon. We offer sports massage, deep tissue massage, hot stone massage, thai massage, pregnancy massage, Swedish massage, and chiropractic adjustments.

Portland Massage