Natural Cold Sore Cure Techniques

Cold sores are small fluid filled blisters that usually appear around the mouth and on the lips, which although not serious cause much distress to the sufferer. Also known as fever blisters, the lesions are unsightly and painful, and can make eating and drinking uncomfortable. Once infected, the virus remains with us for life and so the options for cold sore cure at present remain focused on preventing their reoccurrence and dealing with the symptoms when they occur.

Herpes simplex virus I (HSV-1) is the culprit and some experts estimate that at least 70 percent of adults above the age of 40 in the United States have been infected. As HSV-1 is highly contagious in the blister or lesion stage, high levels of hygiene should be observed to avoid spreading it, both to other individuals and to other parts of your own body.

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Cold sores usually disappear untreated in 7-10 days, but the discomfort caused can be highly distressing. Some sufferers find topical creams like Zovirax can help, as well as other antiviral medicines like famciclovir or acyclovir and treatments such as Viroxyn can also provide some relief.

Attacks occur when the immune system is weakened and sufferers experiencing regular attacks have also found that the frequency and severity of outbreaks can be decreased using a variety of natural treatments too. Home remedies are preferred by many due to unpleasant side effects experienced by a proportion of sufferers using conventional cold sore treatments and include the following:

- Aloe Vera gel has anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties and promotes healing.

- Chaparral was used by Native Americans to treat a variety of ailments and has been found to contain anti-viral properties.

- A paste made from corn starch applied in the blister stage can help dry it out.

- Apply grapefruit seed extract diluted with either aloe or olive oil directly to the blister or lesion with a cotton bud.

- Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a perennial herb of the mint family that has antiviral properties thought to derive from its tannin content, as well as antioxidants and selenium which help strengthen the immune system.

- Camphor can help to soothe blisters by easing pain, cracking and dryness.

- Some people have found that a tea made by sage and ginger root or powder can help clear up the sores.

- Milk can also help ease pain and promote healing; apply a cotton ball soaked in whole milk over the sore after allowing it to reach room temperature.

The message is clear; until a complete cold sore cure is found it is important for sufferers to maintain a strong immune system to reduce the frequency of attacks, and in addition to medicinal treatments, which have limited capacity to treat the ailment and possible side effects, sufferers should consider natural remedies.

Natural Cold Sore Cure Techniques

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Massage Therapy Techniques

A good massage can be the most relaxing experience ever. After a hard day, when you are completely tense and just cannot relax, there is nothing like a massage to help you unwind, and to relax and feel better. It can also help if you have some sort of aches and pains, of course - for persistent back aches and shoulder aches, and even for headaches, a massage can be of immense help.

Using the right massage therapy techniques is very important, however. You need not be a professional masseuse, but you have to have some elementary knowledge of basic massage therapy techniques before you actually give somebody a massage, or you will not be doing the person a favor of any sort. On the other hand, you might actually cause them some sort of injury at worst, and discomfort and pain at best.

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So let us take a look at the basic massage therapy techniques that you can use.

They can be divided into stages. The first stage of proper massage therapy techniques is effleurage. Every massage should begin with this. This usually is the very light stroking that you begin with. However, for some things, like edema, deep effleurage can help.

When you begin a massage, keep your hands on the area you are about to massage, but be very light. Now stroke, quite lightly, without taking your hand away during the duration of this stage. You can slightly increase the pressure after a while, but the person you are massaging must be comfortable at all times. The pressure must be increased as you move towards the heart, and decreased as you move away from the heart.

Petrisage is the next stage of a massage. You can use either your fingertips or the heels of your palms to slightly pull the muscle tissue towards you and knead. Again, the cardinal rule is that the person you are massaging must be comfortable at all times. This can 'hurt good', though, which is a good thing.

The next stage you can go on to is Tapotement, but unless your subject is in good physical shape, he or she might not like it. You use the sides of your palms to hack with medium pressure, or use your cupped hands, instead. If the person has any physical ailments, this is not advisable.

The fourth stage is friction - with either your thumb or your finger tips, apply pressure in a circle to the bony parts, like knees or the spine, and hold.

You can end with the massage therapy technique effleurage again, and hopefully your subject will be happy and relaxed!

Massage Therapy Techniques

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Some Massage Techniques

Massage therapy is a specialized discipline and like any discipline, makes use of different techniques in applying the skill and pressure that bring delight to a client. Knowing these techniques and applying them correctly is what makes a massage therapist stand out from the crowd.

Massage techniques are vast and varied many of which, the roots can be comfortably traced back to ancient Asia, Rome and the Native Americans. There are those that were practiced in ancient Egypt and other parts of the world and the modern techniques that were formed as a result of amalgamations of different ancient techniques.

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Regardless of where the techniques might have originated from, the purpose of their application was usually for similar purposes; to administer relief and enhance the general well-being of the person undergoing the massage therapy.

Massage techniques usually depend on the particular needs of the client. There are a few that are widely practiced by most spas and massage therapists.

1. Effleurage
This technique consists of a series and variety of stroking movements mostly carried out with the whole hand making use of the palm and fingers. This is applied with varying pressure according to the purpose of the massage. The therapist uses a wide surface of his hand and fingers to apply a series of stroking movements and firm pressure to massage his/her clients. As applied in other massage types, the therapist's hands must be relaxed and well placed around the contours of the recipient's body.

Effleurage is a technique that massage therapists apply at the beginning of a massage session and serves a variety of functions including putting the client at ease, introducing touch to the client, warming the tissues and muscle relaxation including stimulation of peripheral nerves.

Effleurage is started with a light touch followed by a deeper pressure in a rhythmical manner and is generally a slow process because it is at this stage that abnormalities in the tissues and muscles are detected and focused on. After a good effleurage session, there is an increase in blood circulation, stretching of tissues for later massage and other advantages.

2. Petrissage

Petrissage is also known as kneading and is used for the mobilization of body fluids, stretching muscle fibers and inducing relaxation in deeper tissues. This technique is mainly aimed at mobilizing fluids and is used for deep tissue massage therapy. It gives a good stretch to the fibers in the body and needs particular skill to execute. Applying the petrissage technique on slimy or narrow parts of the body will make for a very difficult and inefficient massage. The vigorous movements of the therapist which involves picking up, wringing, squeezing and rolling the tissues help him to work deeply on the muscles.

The benefits are numerous and include the detoxification of deeper tissues, breakdown and removal of fatty tissues around thigh, buttocks and shoulders and aids prevention of muscle stiffness after exercise. It is also used to give relief to muscle spasms. Petrissage is very effective in resolving deep muscle problems.

3. Friction

The friction technique in massage therapy is usually used for deeper and exploratory movement on a client. It is used to break down lesions and recent scar tissues and also acts to separate muscle fibers.

The friction technique while quite painful is very effective. The thumb is used to grasp and move the skin where abnormalities are felt and dealt with. Because of the pain associated with this technique, it is applied for a short period only as too much of the friction technique could cause inflammation.

Some Massage Techniques

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Thai Massage - Origins, Techniques and Benefits

Thai massage has been practiced for several thousand years. It is one branch of Thai medicine, which includes manipulation (of which massage is a part), diet, medicinal treatment and ritual (spiritual ceremony). In Thailand it is used in conjunction with these other forms of treatment, although in other countries it may be used on its own.

Thai massage is based on the belief that all disease is due to an imbalance of the body's energy. Its goal is to promote this balance and therefore assist in the healing of the entire person. To do this, it uses several techniques.

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The first is the application of pressure through leaning into the area being treated. This pressure is less forceful than that used in some other forms of massage and more like the pressure used in shiatsu. Also like shiatsu, Thai massage uses pressure along energy channels. (called "sen" in Thailand, but more commonly known as meridians - which is what they are called in Chinese medicine). The major difference between the two is that Thai massage treats these channels in both directions, while shiatsu moves in only one direction.

Reflexology is also part of a Thai massage session. Reflexology is based on the belief that points on the feet can be use to treat the entire body. There is a lot of attention paid to the feet and legs in Thai massage, because getting energy moving in these areas helps to better connect the client to the earth, causing them to be more "grounded".

Another technique used is blood stopping. This is achieved by putting pressure on a major artery in the arm or leg for an extended period of time - up to about a minute. The theory behind this technique is that cutting off a major source of circulation to an area will initially result in increased pressure, which will cause the heart muscle to slow its contractions in order to bring the pressure down. When the pressure on the artery is released a fresh supply of blood rushes into the area, causing it to relax more deeply. This technique, however, is not used on anyone with heart or circulatory problems or with diabetes.

There is also a type of stretching used which is passive. This means that the client does not participate in the stretching; the therapist does all the work. Stretching is done in stages with rest periods between, working gradually up to as much range of motion as possible. It is also done slowly to avoid the muscle shortening - or spasm - that can occur when a muscle is stretched too far, too fast.

The asanas, or postures, of hatha yoga are also included, to help the whole massage flow more smoothly. Like stretching, these are passive, performed by the therapist.

Thai massage techniques can be very time-consuming. A typical Thai massage is much longer than a "regular" massage, lasting up to three hours. Also, all Thai massage is done with the client lying on a floor mat; this is such an active massage for the practitioner that a massage table would make it difficult or impossible to perform some of the techniques.

The benefits of Thai massage include those of regular massage, like improved circulation, mobility and flexibility, as well as stress relief. But Thai massage goes further; its more specialized techniques will help promote balance of all the body's systems. If you are looking for a more holistic approach to bodywork, Thai massage may be a good choice.

Thai Massage - Origins, Techniques and Benefits

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