Chapter 3: Massage Therapy and the Stress Epidemic 1 CEU
By: April Pilz, LMT Learning objectives Define stress in clinical terms and describe its effects on the body and brain. Identify the effects of stress on the body and the difference between acute and chronic stress. Examine the relationship between our modern lifestyle and our indicated levels of stress. Course overview Stressed is a term used by every American adult to describe themselves at some point in their lives, but what does that really mean? What symptoms or sensations are they experiencing that give them the feeling of being stressed? Our ability (or inability) to cope with external circumstances manifests as a set of physical changes that are rooted in our primal survival instincts, which we so rarely have cause to activate in modern life, that tell us that we are in danger. The sympathetic nervous system, also known as the fight-or-flight mechanism , becomes overactive, and our bodies respond by creating changes in chemistry to help us survive the perceived threat, as if we were cavemen running from the saber-toothed tiger. Massage therapy, however, can counteract that process in a pleasant, safe, and completely natural way. During a massage, the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the rest-and-digest mechanism , is activated and begins to reverse the biochemical processes in the Implicit bias in healthcare Implicit bias significantly affects how healthcare professionals perceive and make treatment decisions, ultimately resulting in disparities in health outcomes. These biases, often unconscious and unintentional, can shape behavior and produce differences in medical care along various lines, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, and socioeconomic status. Healthcare disparities stemming from implicit bias can manifest in several ways. For example, a healthcare provider might unconsciously give less attention to a patient or make assumptions about their medical needs based on race, gender, or age. The unconscious assumptions can lead to delayed or inadequate care, misdiagnoses, or inappropriate treatments, all of which can adversely impact health outcomes. Addressing
Recognize current cultural norms of overstimulation and overmedication. Identify the physiological, neurological, and biochemical changes that take place during massage and their role in reducing stress. Establish the importance of consistent massage therapy as a long-term stress-reducing practice. body begun by the sympathetic nervous system. In this course, we will examine what happens to the body and brain during stress and how those processes can be reversed by massage therapy. In addition to taking a closer look at the physiological effects of stress, we will look at the bigger picture to understand the epidemic proportions stress has reached in our society and what we, as massage therapists, can do about it. As our profession slowly but surely achieves recognition as a valid treatment tool by the medical community, we need to define and claim our role as practitioners and professionals in that community to further advance our industry. We will also discuss statistics and current research so that we can advocate for the efficacy of massage therapy to treat stress with a body of knowledge to back up our claims. First, we will define what stress is, starting with its history. implicit bias in healthcare is crucial for achieving equity in medical treatment. Strategies to combat these biases involve education and awareness programs for healthcare professionals. These programs help individuals recognize and acknowledge their biases, fostering a more empathetic and unbiased approach to patient care. Additionally, implementing policies and procedures prioritizing equitable treatment for all patients can play a pivotal role in reducing healthcare disparities. Ultimately, confronting implicit bias in healthcare is essential to creating a more just and equitable healthcare system where everyone receives fair and equal treatment regardless of their background or characteristics.
SECTION 1: WHAT IS STRESS?
In 1936, Hans Selye, a Hungarian endocrinologist and researcher, first coined the term stress as a condition affecting the human body when he defined is as “the nonspecific response of the body to any demand for change.” That does not seem so negative at first glance, especially when presented in matter- of-fact scientific language. But we know from experience that what we have come to understand as stress can be a negative, weighty thing. Selye understood that, too, his definition proved too simplistic because the observable effects of the stress phenomenon were far too complex to define in simple terms. The American Institute of Stress described Selye’s research, discoveries, and theories in an article on the institute’s website titled “What is Stress?” Selye had noted in numerous experiments that laboratory animals subjected to acute but different noxious physical and emotional stimuli (blaring light, deafening noise, extremes of heat or cold, perpetual frustration) all exhibited the same pathologic changes of stomach ulcerations, shrinkage of lymphoid tissue, and enlargement of the adrenals. He later
demonstrated that persistent stress could cause these animals to develop various diseases similar to those seen in humans such as heart attacks, stroke, kidney disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. At the time, it was believed that most diseases were caused by specific but different pathogens. Selye proposed just the opposite, namely, that many different insults could cause the same disease not only in animals but also in humans (American Institute of Stress, 2018). This was a groundbreaking hypothesis at the time and led to a lifetime of research for Selye, who continues to be credited with coining the term stress. When asked to provide a more succinct definition of stress, he would eventually submit, “Everyone knows what stress is, but nobody really knows.” Selye continued his study on the subject and struggled to find a satisfactory definition of stress until his death in 1982, which was, arguably, in many ways, a much less stressful era than today. What would Selye have thought of the way we live today?
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Book Code: MLA1224
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