Urban Escape's Blog

2 Minute Tip from Dahn Yoga - Hip Stretch for Sciatica and Hip Joint Pain

August 30th, 2010 • Posted by Valerie Walton • Permalink

Check out this 2 minute video on YouTube for an easy stretch to alleviate hip joint pain caused by muscle tension and Sciatica!

 2 Minute Tip - Hip Stretch

Open House!

August 25th, 2010 • Posted by Valerie Walton • Permalink

Urban Escape is partnering with Pampered Chef, Scentsy Candles and Willow House (formerly Southern Living At Home) for a night of shopping, recipe sampling, chair massage and FREE GIFTS!

Stop by and receive:

Stop by Monday, August 30th between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. to check out the products, services and FREE GIFTS available!

 Where (Lee Ann’s house):

11019 Manganite Court NW

Albuquerque, NM 87114

RSVP to: 897-3064 or

leeannpautz@hotmail.com to get an extra prize

We hope you can make it!

Stress and the Immune System: Research Sheds Light on Mind-Body Connection

August 10th, 2010 • Posted by Valerie Walton • Permalink

Every massage therapist knows that stress is one of the main motivators leading clients to seek massage, and massage therapy has been shown to reduce stress, lower blood pressure and effect relaxation. New research shows that people who experience stress in social situations, including parties, public speaking and job interviews, experience immune-system responses that can lead to inflammation.

 Researchers found that individuals who exhibit greater neural sensitivity to social rejection also exhibit greater increases in inflammatory activity to social stress, according to a press release from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Such increases can be adaptive; however, chronic inflammation can increase the risk of asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer and depression, the press release noted.

"It turns out, there are important differences in how people interpret and respond to social situations," lead author George Slavich, a postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, said. "For example, some people see giving a speech in front of an audience as a welcome challenge; others see it as threatening and distressing."

The researchers recruited 124 individuals, put them into two awkward social situations, and then measured biological changes in inflammatory activity.

"This is further evidence of how closely our mind and body are connected," Slavich said. "We have known for a long time that social stress can 'get under the skin' to increase risk for disease, but it's been unclear exactly how these effects occur. To our knowledge, this study is the first to identify the neurocognitive pathways that might be involved in inflammatory responses to acute social stress."

The study appears in the current online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Massage For Pain Management

July 11th, 2010 • Posted by Valerie Walton • Permalink

Who hasn’t experienced pain from headaches, backaches, muscle aches at some point in their lives? But how many of us experience this chronically, almost constantly, or at least a large percentage of the time?

For most people, pain is a fact of life, whether it’s constant, or occasional. And most people turn to medications for relief of pain, especially when it’s chronic or nearly constant. Research shows that pain relievers are the most common non-prescription medication purchased – over 200,000 pounds per year, in fact, in the United States alone! And headaches are the most common reason for purchasing over the counter pain medications.

So how do pain relievers work? Well, when a cell gets damaged in the body, it activates the release of a chemical called prostaglandin. Prostaglandin causes the nerves near the damaged cell to send a signal to the brain. The brain interprets the signal as pain and causes the body to feel the pain sensation. The more damage done to the cell, the greater the amount of prostaglandin that's released, causing greater pain. Pain relievers work by preventing the release of prostaglandin into the body. With less prostaglandin being produced, the nerves are not activated to send pain signals to the brain. No signal = no pain.

Pain relievers come in two forms: over the counter and prescription. Over-the- counter (OTC) pain relievers include acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol), aspirin (e.g., Bayer, St. Joseph), ibuprofen (e.g., Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (e.g., Aleve). Aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen are also known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. OTC pain relievers have a smaller dose of active ingredients than prescription pain relievers, and are typically used for basic aches and pains such as mild headaches and joint or muscle pain. Some products contain both acetaminophen and aspirin (e.g., Excedrin Extra Strength, Excedrin Migraine, Vanquish).

Most of us have seen the ads for prescription medications that include a long list of potential side effects (downplayed, of course, by the manufacturer as being only present in a very small percentage of the population using that particular prescription). But did you know that even over the counter pain relievers have some pretty serious potential side effects?

Side effects of acetaminophen, the most popular OTC medication, include fever, bleeding or bruising, sores or ulcers on the lips and mouth, rash or hives, severe, unexplainable weakness, decrease in urination and/or sharp, stabbing pain in the lower back or side. And research shows that acetaminophen is the #1 cause of acute liver failure in the United States. Over 450 million deaths occur from liver failure due to accidental overdose. Taking too much Tylenol poisons the liver and can cause it to fail. It has been said that many seeking relief of pain take Tylenol in high doses over the course of a few days. Many of these people were also taking other medications and were simply unaware of the consequences.

The side effects of NSAIDs include diarrhea, constipation, rash, dizziness and headache, and long term use of NSAIDs can cause severe gastrointestinal and liver damage. Prostaglandins also cover the lining of your stomach. NSAIDs prevent the production of more prostaglandins, allowing acid to seep through the lining. This can lead to the formation of ulcers, which can cause life-threatening internal bleeding. There is also some evidence that NSAIDs destroy vitamin stores in the body, contributing to fatigue. NSAIDs can also interact with blood pressure medications.

So what does all this mean to you?? Well, if you’re one of the millions of Americans suffering from chronic pain, what if you could alleviate that pain, quickly and easily, without the health risks associated with taking pain medications?

In earlier civilizations, physicians actually used massage as a primary method of treating pain. Today, massage therapists are trained in anatomy, physiology and pathology. The effectiveness of massage lies in a simple strategy – working from the external, outer mechanisms of pain to the primary, root cause. Massage therapists utilize a holistic approach, focusing on the entire body system and its relationship to soft tissue. Their care isn’t focused only on the site of pain. And massage therapy has been shown to be effective for treating and alleviating pain on many levels, including back pain, headaches, chronic stress and anxiety, sciatica, muscle cramps, foot pain, and more.

So how does it work? Massage stimulates the release of endorphins (the morphine-like substance that the body manufactures) into the brain and nervous system, acting as a natural analgesic. Additionally, massage works on what is known as the Gate Theory. Pain impulses travel to the brain on unmyelinated nerve fibers, which get to the brain slower. And we know that it’s only when they reach the brain that these impulses are perceived as pain. Touch, temperature and pressure sensations (like those experienced during massage) travel on myelinated nerve pathways, which get to the brain faster. When multiple impulses try to reach the brain through the nerves at once, the nerves get clogged like a highway during morning rush hour, and most of them won’t reach the brain, only the impulses that reach the brain first will get through, the rest will be blocked. So since the impulses that transmit the sensations caused by massage travel faster, the pain impulses will be blocked from actually reaching the brain, which means we won’t feel pain. In other words, massage works by ‘closing the gate’ that pain impulses have to pass through. And the effects are often felt for days, even weeks and months with regular massage, allowing your body time to heal whatever is causing the pain to begin with.

So rather than stopping these pain signals from reaching the brain by means of medications, which disrupt the body’s natural systems and can pose serious health issues while really only treating the symptoms, massage works with our body’s natural systems and processes to reduce and eliminate pain, and heal the root cause, all without fear of risky side effects.

So if you’re experiencing pain caused by muscle tension, stress, injury, etc., think about getting a therapeutic massage rather than reaching for the pain meds. The only warning message that comes with a massage is that it just might be addictive – but it’s a healthy addiction you’ll be glad to have!

3rd Annual Red Cross Links for Lives Golf Tournament

June 22nd, 2010 • Posted by Valerie Walton • Permalink

On Monday, June 28th, the Red Cross is sponsoring Links for Lives, with proceeds benefiting the American Red Cross. Urban Escape will be on site offering chair massage for a small donation. Don't miss this great opportunity to participate in a fun event while also supporting your community! Compete in multiple categories for great prizes, including a HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE. Several sponsorship options available - all sponsorships and individual contributions are tax deductible. Other highlights include: prize raffle, miracle putt challenge and LOTS MORE! For more information, call Maggie Smith at (505) 256-8792 — American Red Cross New Mexico