The internet revolution has given us all a voice that can be heard by thousands and, in rare cases when a post goes viral, millions of people. For consumers (that's all of us!) this can be immensely powerful giving us 'real' insights into others people's experiences from staying at hotels, to choosing a particular model of washing machine or getting a treatment at your local massage clinic. The importance of reviews cannot be underestimated. For massage therapists in Brighton this has recently been brought into focus by one unscrupulous massage centre leaving fake negative reviews on many of its ...
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Natural Balance Blog
A potent mix – hot and cold stones
Hot Stones are relaxing enough on their own. The heat of these special Basalt Stones soothes the mind and body immediately. Combining these heated stones with chilled stones creates a chemical reaction in the body.
Firstly, the heat from the Basalt stones relaxes the muscles causing the blood vessels to expand, followed by the use of cold stones on an injury area causing the blood vessels to constrict. The heat ensures a good flow of blood, nutrients and oxygen to the injury area and the cold flushes away any waste materials and relieves internal bleeding
Brighton Marathon and Sussex Beacon Half Marathon
Massage for runners Local Events this Spring Feb 19th Brighton Half-Marathon Mar 4th Steyning Stinger Marathon and Half Mar 4th Eastbourne Half Marathon Mar 18th Worthing 20 Mar 25th Hastings Half-Marathon Apr 1st Sussex Marathon & Half Marathon Apr 15th Brighton Marathon Apr 15th Hartfield Fun Run 10k, 5.6k and 2k Apr 22nd London Marathon Apr 28th Crawley A.I.M Charity 6 & 12 hour track race May 5th East Grinstead 10 Miles May 6th Haywards Heath 10 Miles May 6th Three Forts Marathon May 7th Burgess Hill 10k Click here to book your Sports Massage online with Natural Balance Therapies, 30 The Drive in Hove. Running has grown in popularity recently with people of all ages ...
The massage gift voucher – a thoughtful gift this christmas?
Massage gift vouchers in Brighton & Hove With 39 days till Christmas, for most of us the thought of doing any Christmas shopping seems rather premature. Of course there are those uber organised people who do their Christmas shopping in the January sales and some how manage, 12 months later, to find all the things they squirrelled away... I wish I could be that organised! This year, more than ever, the importance of not 'wasting' money will be apparent. A combination of economic gloom and a growing environmental conscience means the days of the credit fueled Christmas buying frenzy ...
Amazing discounts on Massage in Brighton…too good to be true?
Over the past few years the internet has played a significant role in changing the way massage therapists market themselves. From social networking sites like Facebook, to promotional videos on Youtube, and review sites like Qype and Google there are now many avenues for getting the word out there about your massage business. The latest big trend is discount voucher / coupon sites offering amazing discounts on massage (plus just about everything else)... but do they really offer value to the customer (or the therapist for that matter?). The problem with heavy discounting (and often with Groupon and ...
Nutrional Therapy in Brighton & Hove
When is Nutritional Therapy beneficial?
There are times when our nutritional requirements are higher, for example on diagnosis of a specific health condition, after illness, during periods of prolonged stress, in puberty and around pregnancy.
Nutritional therapy aims to identify the underlying causes of your health concerns, providing long-term relief. Some of the areas where nutritional therapy can be of benefit are:
• Nervous system – Headaches, migraines, stress, anxiety.
• Food intolerance’s/allergies.
• Hormonal issues – PMS, menopause, PCOS, thyroid disorders.
• Skin health – Eczema, psoriasis, acne.
• Digestive problems – ...
Dissection Day for Massage Therapists (part two)
This blog follows on from part one and describes in more detail a dissection day for massage therapists - an advanced anatomy day held at a teaching hospital in London.
Before entering the dissection room we were given gowns and gloves and a quick talk. Caroline, our Anatomist for the day, introduced us to the team working in the room and there was an opportunity to ask questions. We started on a serious note by being told that anyone that was disrespectful or behaved inappropriately would be asked to leave immediately. There was then a brief question and answer session.
On entering the room ...
Dissection day for massage therapists (part one)
This week I spent a fascinating day at a hospital in central London improving my understanding of anatomy. Over the past few years I've met a few therapists who have been on dissection days and all have said it has had a profound impact on their understanding of anatomy - but understandably I've always been nervous at the prospect of seeing dead bodies and procrastinated at every opportunity.
So why is anatomy so important to massage therapists and what do you learn from a cadaver that can't be learnt from a text book?
An understanding of anatomy is ...
Is your clinical massage holistic enough?
Like many massage therapists I started my journey as a therapist offering what are sometimes referred to as more 'holistic' treatments. I use the word holistic somewhat reluctantly since in the world of therapy it has to be one of the most overused and misunderstood concepts.
The problem with treating holistically is that it requires you to 'treat the whole' person, something that is admirable to aim for but difficult in practice. To my thinking it is a misuse of the word 'holistic' to say a massage is holistic because it's full body.
Treating the 'whole' means understanding ...
Deep tissue massage / Myofascial Release in Brighton
Just back from an amazing 9 day work shop with Art Riggs, a leading figure in the world of therapeutic massage and fascial work. The first 3 days focused on the basics of client positioning, checking your own body mechanics and working at different levels from the superficial fascia to deep muscles, tendons and bones.
We then had 3 days working on the lower body with detailed demonstrations of working on everything from the feet up. Some of the work around the pelvis was quite challenging and included treating quite intimate muscles such as obturator internus.