Spa Treatments for Anxiety & Stress

Most people admit that when they're under stress, healthy eating habits can be difficult to maintain. Whether eating to fill an emotional need or grabbing fast food simply because there's no time to prepare something healthy, a stressed-out lifestyle is rarely a healthy one. But weight gain when under stress may also be at least partly due to the body's system of hormonal checks and balances, which can actually promote weight gain when you're stressed out, according to some researchers. Cortisol has been termed the "stress hormone" because excess cortisol is secreted during times of physical or psychological stress, and the normal pattern of cortisol secretion (with levels highest in the early morning and lowest at night) can be altered. This disruption of cortisol secretion may not only promote weight gain, but it can also affect where you put on the weight. Some studies have shown that stress and elevated cortisol tend to cause fat deposition in the abdominal area rather than in the hips. This fat deposition has been referred to as "toxic fat" since abdominal fat deposition is strongly correlated with the development of cardiovascular disease including  heart attacks and strokes. Anxiety: A feeling of apprehension and fear characterized by physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, and feelings of stress.

Anxiety disorders are serious medical illnesses that affect approximately 19 million American adults. These disorders fill people's lives with overwhelming anxiety and fear. Unlike the relatively mild, brief anxiety caused by a stressful event such as a business presentation or a first date, anxiety disorders are chronic, relentless, and can grow progressively worse if not treated.

The anxiety disorders include:

    * panic disorder,
    * obsessive-compulsive disorder,
    * post-traumatic stress disorder,
    * social phobia (or social anxiety disorder),
    * specific phobias, and
    * generalized anxiety disorder.

A visit to the spa for virtually any treatment will assist you with the required relaxation, so do not get stressed out on which service.  However, here are a few that may assit you even more. 

An Aromatherapy massage with lavender may be the perfect spa treatment.   It's thought that the chemical makeup of lavender may reverse the negative effects of certain hormones, like cortisol, that are secreted by the body when we're stressed.

A recent study published in the International Journal of Neuroscience confirmed the calming effects of lavender scent. In a separate experiment at Osaka Kyoiku University in Kashiwara City, Japan, 29 participants were made to wait for 20 minutes in a small, sound-protected room with nothing to do--an environment meant to provoke a stressful reaction. "When lavender odorant was introduced in this condition, self-measured stress levels were reduced," explains study co-author Naoyasu Motomura, M.D.      

Shirodhara (Herbal oil bath for head)   A classic Ayurvedic treatment using a stream of warm oil dripped onto the forehead for 45 minutes after a scalp is massage, Shirodhara is perfect to relieve stress and calm the mind and body. It is especially effective for those experiencing anxiety, insomnia, depression and stress in general. Through enabling a natural expansion of one’s consciousness, it leads to the experience of a natural state of bliss.

General Herbal Body Massage                                           

Designed to balance body, mind and spirit, this herbal treatment begins with a scalp massage followed by a rhythmic body massage with herbal oil or herbal cream to increase blood circulation. As it is gently detoxifying, it enhances immunity and is good for skin and nerves by creating deep relaxation in both body and mind.

You should discuss your health needs with your physicians before considering any spa treatments. Spa Treatments are complimentary treatments to medication, exercise and dietary changes that your physician prescribes.