In the study of HEALTH AND SKINCARE, we learn that the main principle of cupping is that it is believed that if you remove stagnation, you will remove the pain.

Cupping involves placing cups (made of glass, plastic, bamboo, or ceramic) on the skin to create a suction. This suctions creates a negative pressure environment, allowing for decompression as the skin draws into the cups thus lifting muscle fibers and drawing blood and toxins to the area.

There are two types of cupping methods, namely; wet and dry, as well as two cupping techniques, stagnant and dynamic. Fire cupping is most traditionally used by methods of quickly heating the inside of the cup with fire, suction is created when placed on the skin. Typically, 4 to 6 cups are used adhering to the skin for about 15 to 20 minutes. Facial cupping is said to be a natural facelift, resulting in greater blood flow to the face, reduced puffiness, and tightened skin.

The following are the benefits of cupping massage therapy:

• Increases circulation
• Encourages tissues to release toxins
• Reduces anxiety
• Reduces stretch marks and scars
• Improves varicose veins and spider veins
• Clear congestion and help treat asthma
• Clear colon blockages and aid digestion
• Reduces inflammation
• Increases range of motion

Even if considered safe, cupping isn’t for everyone. As a qualified HEALTH AND SKINCARE therapist, please advise your client against cupping if they present with the following precautions:

• If your client I feeling lightheaded or dizzy
• If your client is experiencing flu-like symptoms
• If the client is nauseous
• If the client has body aches.
• Not recommended for people with liver, kidney, or heart failure or those with a pacemaker.
• If the client suffers from hemophilia, anemia, or similar blood disorders,
• If the client is on blood thinners.
• If pregnant avoid cupping the abdomen and lower back
• If there is suspicion of an infection or an open wound, cupping shouldn’t be performed.

Pregnancy, as most would know, comes with its fair share of aches and pains. As your body grows and changes, it puts a strain on your lower back, neck, abdominal muscles, and shoulders, thus changing your entire center of gravity. Your hips and pelvis become sore due to the ligaments becoming loosened. Your general posture is changed, add to that the extra weight you’re carrying, and it can really become a lot to handle.

Contrary to popular belief, one can get massaged while pregnant because the most beneficial time for massage may be during this overwhelming time.

Massage is therapeutic and it can help the expecting mother to relax and manage their stress levels, which is especially essential during this tricky time.

However, always be sure to get the green light from your doctor ahead of time.

Some doctors hesitate to advise massage during pregnancy because there is a huge variation in training. There is also a lack of certification standards nationwide. This is especially true for the specialty of pregnancy massage

In the study of Health and Skincare, we learn that qualified prenatal massage therapists are available and they make use of techniques designed specifically to address pregnancy challenges. It is based on the principles behind Swedish massage techniques, and lymphatic drainage. These techniques in particular help with reducing muscle tensions and improving blood flow.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine advises all pregnant women to consult with their doctor before trying massage.

Whether you get a massage from a professional, from your partner, or you self-massage, it should be relaxing, soothing, and rejuvenating.

The following are some benefits of prenatal massage:

• Encourages relaxation and reduces anxiety and depression
• Reduces high blood pressure and stretch marks
• Helps alleviate muscle and joint pain
• Improves breathing, digestion, and sleep
• Improves mom and baby’s health by reducing the negative impacts of stress such as gestational hypertension, prematurity, and low birth weight
• Helps the mom feel more at ease and in touch with herself and her baby
• Contributes to easier, shorter labors by lowering cortisol levels
• Lower Risk of Postpartum Depression
• And it helps mom feel so good about herself.

When to Avoid Pregnancy Massage

In HEALTH AND SKINCARE, you could advise your pregnant client to get clearance from their doctor before they try a massage, especially if:

• You’re experiencing nausea, vomiting, or morning sickness
• You’re at high risk of miscarriage
• You have a high-risk pregnancy such as placental abruption (where the placenta slightly detaches from the wall of the uterus) or preterm labor

• Avoid going for a massage in the first trimester, as it can increase the risk of miscarriage
• Avoid using oils such as rosemary, oregano, peppermint, thyme, and sage as they can lead to uterine contractions
• Avoid pregnancy massage on a pregnancy bed in the third trimester as the belly can hang unsupported and may cause stretching of the uterine ligaments
• History of blood cloths
• Varicose veins
• If you have open wounds, skin injury, skin infections, or eczema

Safety Precautions that should be taken by expecting mom.

• Avoid compressing your belly
• A void lying down on your stomach unless you can do so without pushing on it.
• Talk to your Healthcare provider first
• Tell your qualified massage therapist that you are pregnant
• Ask your massage therapist to perform a patch test before using certain oils on your body
• A pregnancy massage is usually an hour long but, you can shorten the time if you start to feel uncomfortable.

The body is a miraculous manifestation that gives us direct access to unknown parts of ourselves. The body revealed by posture, muscle contraction, and flexibility demonstrates the sort of armor we use to protect ourselves in a sometimes difficult world. For instance, an individual with depression might tense up or constrict the stomach or back in order to be less vulnerable to particular emotions.

MASSAGE THERAPY can be an effective choice of treatment for a number of psychological issues: depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity, anxiety, stress, and post-traumatic, to name a few.

The MASSAGE THERAPIST bears witness to our mounting stresses and vulnerabilities and helps unblock the passageways that allow us to fully breathe in life, every point of contact on the body is an opportunity for self-awareness. The sense of being “held” during a massage awakens a feeling of being loved, and, cared about, as the therapist’s focus is a kind of concentrated care for the client.

Psychological healing occurs when we sink into the reality of our bodies. After a MASSAGE TREATMENT, we may find that our spirits have been lifted, or that we’ve broadened our everyday perspectives. The opportunity is one for self-awareness.

When used regularly, HEALTH AND SKINCARE is a great way to help with stress management and overall better health through the increase and balance of key neurotransmitter hormones. When you are relaxed, your breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and metabolism all slow down, thus creating a calmer state of mind and body. The following are some examples of hormones that are released during a massage:

• Endorphins are the feel-good hormone released by the body in times of joy and happiness. It is essentially the body’s natural painkiller. 
• Oxytocin which is known to create bonding promotes trust, and, empathy.
• Serotonin helps to regulate your mood as well as your sleep, appetite, digestion, learning ability, and, memory.
• Dopamine is a feel-good hormone and is an important part of your brain’s reward system, associated with pleasurable sensations, and, learning.

Our lives differ remarkably from those of our forefathers. Pollution of all kinds, political changes, technological demands, fast foods, stress, natural disasters, strange diseases, the depletion of the ozone layer, and so on from part of our modern world. The tensions and strains of our daily lives begin to show at an earlier age than ever before. The first signs are detected on our faces.

People suffer from sore and tired muscles, listlessness, tiredness, insomnia, headache, mental strains, exhaustion, colds or flu, irritability, and panic, just to name a few.

HEALTH AND SKINCARE massage treatments minimize feelings of angst that cause depression and prevent us from connecting to our bodies and experiencing joy.

When a person’s body becomes dehydrated, being due to a lack of drinking water, a large intake of caffeine and fizzy drinks, a lack of sleep, or even smoking, the body draws water from its non-essential organs to function normally, the skin being one such organ (and yes, you can live without skin, you just won’t look as pretty as usual). Drawing water from the skin causes dehydration, which in turn slows down the optimal regeneration of the skin cells, causing aging faster than normal.

 But how do you know your body is dehydrated? Or your skin is dehydrated? And how do you solve the dehydration problem in your body?

 As soon as the sensation of “thirst” starts, your body is telling you that the water levels are lowering and you need to take in water. But do you drink water? Or do you have your usual coffee, normal tea, or fizzy drink?

Look in the mirror. Are there fine lines on your forehead? Or when you lift your eyebrows, do you see fine lines? Do they stay when you relax your brows? If you said yes to any of these questions, then your skin is dehydrated.

To solve the dehydration problem, your stomatologist/health and skincare therapist / aesthetic therapist will advise you to drink 6 – 8 glasses of water a day, which to some sounds like an impossible goal to reach, especially if you are not used to drinking any water at all. So how do you achieve this? In SOMATOLOGY / HEALTH AND SKINCARE you are taught that drastic change can lead to drastic detoxing of the body, which is turn leads to abnormal functioning, and increases the dehydration effect. So start small, one step at a time. For example, substitute one cup of coffee, or one fizzy drink, a day with one glass of water for the first week. In the second week, 2 glasses and so on, until you reach your daily goal.

The bottom line to slowing down the signs of aging:

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

6–12 weeks of consuming cocoa powder, high in antioxidants, each day, the skin could become thicker and more hydrated. The skin can also improve its appearance in the sense of less rough and scaly patches, less sensitivity to sunburn, and better blood flow, which brings more nutrients to your skin.

A study found that eating 20 grams of high-antioxidant dark chocolate per day could allow your skin to withstand over twice as much UV radiation before burning, compared with eating low-antioxidant chocolate. Other results include improvements in the appearance of wrinkles.

The chosen dark chocolate should contain at least 70% cocoa to maximize the benefits and keep added sugar to a minimum.

Red grapes

Red grapes are famous for having resveratrol, a compound that comes from the skin of red grapes which carries a wide range of health benefits, among them reducing the effects of aging.

 A study conducted suggests resveratrol may also help slow the production of harmful free radicals, which damage skin cells and cause signs of aging.

This beneficial compound is also found in red wine. Since red wine is an alcoholic beverage, there are negative effects to drinking it in excess. SOMATOLOGY / HEALTH AND SKINCARE therapists will not recommend clients start drinking red wine just because of its potential health benefits. Instead, you should consume fresh red grapes.