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Shanna
A. Schultz
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Hot
and Cold Stone Therapy
for Relief from Chronic Pain and Injury
by Shanna A. Schultz
Chronic pain and injury had become a way of life for many people in the United States. ____% of people report suffering from some type of chronic pain in their lives.
Hot stone therapy has, in recent years, become the "hot" treatment in spas for its therapautic and relaxation benefits. Many people do not realize the great potential that this therapy has for treatment of injuries and relief from chronic pain.
LaStone Therapy, the original hot stone therapy (www.LaStoneTherapy.com), utilizes both heated and cooled stones to achieve results that are deeper and more penetrating than tradtional massage alone. In addition to the fact that the stones allow the therapist to achieve a deeper pressure with less effort (muscles melt like butter under the pressure of a warm stone), the use of heated and cooled stones creates profound physiological effects.
Heat increases blood flow to an injured muscle, helping that muscle to relax and receive nutrients in the blood that are necessary for the healing process. Cold temperatures have the effect of constricting blood vessels. When used alternating with heat, it creates a pumping effect which helps to flush out damaging toxins and waste, making more room for fresh blood and healing nutrients.
Alternating heat and cold are frequently recommended by doctors for treatment of pain and injury. Using stones in this process enables the temperatures to penetrate more deeply than just a heat or cold pack. Using cool stones also reduces the muscle soreness that is sometimes a side effect of "deep tissue" massage.
On a physiological level, massage with hot and cold stones utilizes your bodys' own processes to effect healing. Your body has many functions and processes aimed at keeping it in homeostasis (homeostasis means keeping your body in balance.) The contrast of the cold stone on tissue that has already been heated with warmed stones is perceived by your body as an attack on its natural balance. In trying to correct the imbalance so that the body can return to a state of homeostasis, your body sends extra blood cells to the site of the attack. With the extra blood comes healing nutrients and oxygen. This natural physiological process greatly speeds the healing process, so that you can get relief from pain and injury more quickly.
Hot stone massage is much more than just a relaxation treament. It has the potential to be a catalyst for profound physiological changes and healing within the body. The addition of the cooled marble stones to the traditional hot stone treatment, used on areas of the body that suffer from chronic pain and injury, brings faster relief and healing. For more information about receiving a LaStone treatent, please click here.
Last Updated: December 19, 2007