Massage
At UWG, we understand the benefits of therapeutic touch - and see massage therapy as part of an overall wellness program. This may be included as part of your personalized health plan or to help relieve daily stress and muscular aches or pains.
Because it supports the whole body in many of its healing processes, massage can play a very important and complimentary role in holistic care. The reverse is also true: natural medicine can compliment massage by addressing muscle spasticity due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
The Benefits of Massage
Massage shifts the patient's nervous system away from the sympathetic "fight-or-flight" stress response and toward the parasympathetic relaxation response.
Massage has been used for thousands of years because it:
- releases postural stress patterns held in connective tissue (fascia)
- relaxes tension held in muscle tissue
- increases blood ciculation in the body, thereby reducing metabolic waste buildup and boosting cellular renewal
- increases the flow of lymph throughout the body, thereby boosting overall immunity
- decreases pain by stimulating the release of serotonin and endorphins
- improves sleep (which plays a crucial role in pain and healing)
- improves digestion and therefore nutrient assimilation
- increases body awareness
New to Massage?
What to Expect from a Massage Treatment
Massage therapy treatments usually last for 30 to 60 minutes or as long as 1.5 to 2 hours. For some conditions (especially chronic ones), therapists often advise a series of appointments.
At the first appointment, your massage therapist will discuss your symptoms, medical history, specific results you desire from treatment, and other factors such as stress, activity levels and movement habits.
During treatment, you might be fully clothed or partially or fully undressed (in which case you will be covered by a sheet or towel; only the parts of your body that the therapist is currently massaging are exposed). Sometimes oil may be used to reduce friction on the skin. The therapist may use other aids, such as ice, heat, or fragrances. Your massage therapist can aid you in learning better movement and developing a deeper body awareness.
Tito's Dynamic Balancing
Sessions with Tito can be half hour or full hour appointments. Tito works with specific issues rather than a general Swedish style massage. He works on the principles of Tensegrity - balancing tension of the musculature of the body across many planes and joints. He also works with you to balance related areas and not just the area of focus. Bringing equilibrium to this balance makes a body and mind happy and at peace.
Please wear comfortable and loose fitting clothes to your session. Your time with Tito can often involve joint mobilization, stretching, movement and release of tight and sore muscles.
About Tito:
Tito Jason Anders LMT OR #7335
Originally from New England, Tito made his move to Oregon in 1993, and now considers Portland his home. Born in the Hudson River Valley, and raised on Long Island Sound in Connecticut, Tito has fond memories of the beauty of New England and its deep history. Tito pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Arts with a focus in graphic design and photography, from a small liberal arts college in New Hampshire. He still does photo shoots and occasional video projects. His mother still lives in Connecticut and he goes to visit her once or twice a year, especially around Christmas, and helps the bass section in his mother’s church choir.
Very quickly Tito became involved in the community activism that is so prevalent in Portland. He worked with the City Repair Project, The Planet Art Network, and assisted many of the artists collectives with administrative guidance, and producing events. After living in Ashland for a year in 1996 running a wholesale bakery and coffeehouse, He decided to head back to Portland and attended East West College of the Healing Arts. He entered into private practice as a massage therapist in 1999, and has found his passion and his peace in bodywork.
The year 2004 brought a wrist injury from a bicycling accident, after which Tito had to put his private practice on hold, which fortunately for him thrust him into the realm of teaching massage. Three and a half fabulous years of teaching all levels of massage, and even being invited to create and implement a new massage program at a local college, Tito has taken leave of formal teaching. He has struck out on his own to teach advanced modalities and rehabilitative techniques for soft tissue. He is currently developing a 150 hour curriculum for advanced bodywork, and a series of instructional videos in this modality.
Dynamic Balancing is what Tito calls his particular brand of bodywork. After the first two years of his practice, he noticed many of his clients returning with the same problems after basic Swedish massages. They weren’t getting better. This compelled him to learn osteopathic techniques, some essentials of Tui Na, Muscle Energy Technique(MET) and Thai Massage. These advanced modalities coupled with extensive teaching of Kinesiology, brought a new focus to his practice. Tito now focuses on the uniqueness of his client’s needs and issues, rather than trying to cover the whole body in an hour. All his work is now very specific and tailored to the needs and sensitivity of his clients.
Many of his clients actually call his sessions ‘getting Tito’d’ because of its unique blending of stretching, massage, and integrative alignment work. Some people call him a noun and a verb.
Tito specializes in:
Low back/Pelvic issues
Increasing flexibility
Postural rehabilitation
Pre Natal preparations
Post Natal soft tissue balance recovery
Frozen Shoulder
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Tendonitis
Automobile injury recovery
Remember, you need not be injured to benefit from Tito’s work. His work helps to facilitate a deeper yoga practice, a better golf swing, preparation for sports events and marathons, or just a more flexible and happier lifestyle.