Take it easy for the rest of the day. Massage Therapy relaxes the nervous system, providing your body with rest, hydration and nourishment will give you with the greatest benefit.

Gentle exercise and stretching is beneficial, please mindful not to engage in strenuous exercise. Your peripheral nervous system (how your body registers itself in space and your limbs in relation to your torso) is relaxed and getting use to increased range of motion. This means you may be clumsy; avoiding strenuous exercise will help to prevent silly accidents and injury.

As with all massage modalities, keeping hydrated and allowing yourself to relax for the rest of your day is key.

If your cupping marks are dark or tender please do not apply heat, cold or compression. These marks are not bruises, they are formed when stagnant metabolic waste is drawn out of tight stuck tissue towards the surface. Allow your body’s natural waste removal system to take care of the marks. The application of ice or cold will contract the tissue we have just loosened and is counterintuitive.

Gentle movement and stretching is beneficial. If the marks are tender, a warm, not hot, shower can be soothing.

Chiropractic and Massage are synergetic modalities. Chiropractic sessions help with bony alignment, releasing pressure off nerves and relaxing the nervous system. Massage Therapy addresses soft tissues, increasing circulation, sedating the nervous system and increased range of motion.

Together Chiropractic addresses hard tissues, Massage addressed soft tissues, and both promote an increased ease of motion and a relaxed nervous system.

Many people ask which should come first Chiropractic or Massage? The answer is not one size fits all. Some people have muscles that are so tight Chiropractic is benefited by receiving a Massage first to loosen and relax their muscles. Other people tighten up after an adjustment, making a post adjustment Massage their greatest benefit for lasting relief.

I cannot speak highly enough about our in house Chiropractors. Dr. Patrick O’Neill, DC and Dr. Kevin Morreale DC are great listeners and have a calming bedside manner. Dr. O’Neill has extensive training working on pre and post natal, infant and adolescent patients. He has a following with our local running community and works with local athletes of all ages. Dr. Morreale has a completed post graduate studies in Functional Medicine. His approach includes pre-adjustment soft tissue work and when indicated, he also utilizes cold laser treatments for joint pain and injury healing.

Physical Therapy is my most recommended addition to someone’s wellness plan when pain and limited range of motion are getting in the way of acts of daily living or preventing them from continuing with their regular exercise routine. Unlike Massage Therapy and Chiropractic which are both passive modalities, Physical Therapy prescribes specific exercises, stretching and movement to take pressure off of aggravated nerves, strengthen atrophied muscles and loosen hypertonic tissues.

My personal favorite local Physical Therapy (PT) office is Lake Erie PT. I had a wonderful experience with the former owner Dee, and am now pleased with their current owners Ryan and Will. Both Ryan and Will worked closely with Dee before taking over the business. They utilize her constant re-testing technique; I have not had this experience at other PT offices. Many PT offices will muscle and nerve test you at the beginning and end of a round of PT (depending on your insurance, usually 6-10 sessions). At Lake Erie PT they test you continuously to make sure the exercises and stretches they are prescribing are continuing to work, and will correct course as needed.

Lake Erie PT

531 Virginia St Ste 1

Buffalo, NY 14202

(716) 332-4838

Acupuncture is one of the longest continually utilized medical treatments known to man. There are thousands of years of evidence of people receiving Acupuncture for various ailments ranging from stress relief, seasonal allergies and headaches, chronic and acute pain. In more recent history Acupuncture is used as complementary medical care along side allopathic treatment for cancer, infertility and relief from a wide variety of other medical conditions and physical discomforts.

Buffalo is lucky to have a variety of Acupuncturists available to suit your needs.

Here is a list of a few of my favorites:

Buffalo Community Acupuncture.

A sliding scale community acupuncture clinic. Craig Labadie, L. Ac

1315 Niagara St‎.

Buffalo, NY 14213

(716) 503-2287

buffcommacu@gmail.com

Buffalo Pelvic Health and Acupuncture Clinic.

This wellness center offers Acupuncture, Physical Therapy, Massage Therapy and Shockwave Therapy with a variety of practitioners to meet your needs.

1250 Niagara Street #200
Buffalo, NY 14213

716-325-0427

info@bphac.com

Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Health Care with Dr. Zhipei Fu.

Trained in Shanghai, she has a strong following of clients who rave about her work.

19 Limestone Drive, Suite 6, Williamsville, NY 14221

(716)-633-6288

Acupuncture Care of WNY

One of the few Acupuncture clinics in the Buffalo area that takes private, no-fault and workman’s comp insurance as well as private pay clients. Marc Iannaccone, L.A.c M.A. has a hybrid clinic that offers both a large community style room and cozy private rooms for customized treatment. He works with a lot of car accident patients, sports injuries and clients seeking pain management.

656 Elmwood Ave

Buffalo, NY 14222

(716) 548-8981 

acucarewny@yahoo.com

Looking for a good book? My favorite books to help people on their wellness journey.

Acupressure's Potent Points: A Guide to Self-Care for Common Ailments by Michael Reed Gach. Think of this book as a recipe book for common conditions. There are step by step recipes for headaches, TMJ, pain management, allergies relief, you name it. A great resource for self care between treatments.

Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do by Wallace J Nichols. This book explains the science of how being near a body of water (blue mind people), surrounded by trees (green mind people) helps to relax our nervous system and over active brains (red mind).

The Athlete's Way: Training Your Mind and Body to Experience the Joy of Exercise by Christopher Bergland. Written by a former ultramarathon runner and son of a neuroscientist this book explains exercise’s effects on the brain and body, and how to train yourself to love exercise. You do not need to be a runner or want to run to receive great benefit from this book.