Hands-on: The Massage Table
Saving Lives
October 25-31 is National Massage Therapy Awareness Week. This year, the AMTA teams with The World Skin Project to improve early detection of skin cancers. Massage therapists are encouraged to call attention to any abnormalities. A Houston man credits his weekly massage with the early detection and removal of a Stage I melanoma. His regular therapist noticed something out of the ordinary and urged him to see a dermatologist. Now he's healthy and grateful. Clients and therapists: Compare suspicious spots against this checklist.
You Can't Be Too Aware
October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Educate yourself about risk factors and self-examination here. You are your own best "first line of defense."
Soothe the Side Effects
Massage is an effective therapy for breast cancer survivors suffering from lymphedema, a disconcerting swelling of the arm brought on by lymph node removal.
Body. Mind. Massage.
The 95-year-old founder of the Rosen Method, a body therapy that combines talk and touch, is still practicing and teaching in the Bay Area; her next workshop is October 23-24. Before World War II, Marion Rosen lived in Germany, where she studied breath- and relaxation-based movement therapy. Her husband was a student of Dr. Carl Jung, and the couple discovered that patients who worked first with Rosen more easily and effectively expressed themselves in psychotherapy sessions. Rosen Method practitioners believe that "the body is a living metaphor of a person's inner state."
In Other News:
Gotta Have a Gimmick
And what a soothing, energy-conserving one this is. A woman in the U.K. has invented "lava shell therapy." Similar to hot stone therapy, the therapist uses sea shells filled with lava powder, minerals, algae, and salt water. The reactive combination generates up to an hour of warmth... no electricity required.
Rehab and Relearn
Polish researchers have found that prompt and long-term physiotherapy--including massage--helps stroke victims compensate for and even regain lost functions.
All About The Jaw
We talk and chew every single day, so you'd think humans would be experts at dealing with painful jaw disorders, such as temporomandibular joint dysfunction syndrome. But as a TMJ sufferer myself, I know the medical community has few solutions. A doctor once recommended that I eat only soft food! A tooth guard lessens the impact of night-time grinding, but it's an expensive, inconvenient option (which some people unconsciously remove during sleep, rendering it useless). Fortunately, French researchers have found huge improvements in patients after massage of the lateral pterygoid jaw muscle: "Joint clicking was solved in 80% and pain in 50% of the cases." This muscle is the only one involved in opening the jaw; it gets a daily workout and should be tended to. You can even tend to it yourself, according to this article, although you'll have to reach into your mouth to massage it appropriately. Awkward, perhaps, but pain-free consumption of tortilla chips is worth it.
More Self-Help Techniques
Several on-line TMJ forums recommend The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook. It looks like a terrific resource.
Or Book a Techno-Masseuse
Japanese scientists have created an "oral rehabilitation robot" that helps to alleviate jaw pain and dry mouth by massaging the temporal and masseter muscles. Good news: it won't have to reach inside your mouth. Bad news: it's not as adorable as C-3PO.
Flu Season Freebie
On Tuesday September 22, Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals will offer a webinar on "Cold and Flu Safety" to their members--and to the public a week later. ABMP rightly deemed the information too important not to share. Email expectmore@abmp.com to be notified when these free guidelines for protecting both client and therapist health are available. "There's no reason any consumer should shy away from getting massage this year," says education director Anne Williams.
In other news:
Look Ma!
A "No Hands" massage goes deep into needy muscles, but is less taxing on therapists, who use their forearms and body weight to provide leverage. Added bonus: it feels like a hug.
Going to the Dogs
Want to become an animal masseur? Consult this list of training programs in the U.S. (and one in Canada).
Integrated Medicine
East or West, a combination is best. Accomplished heart-surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz clearly believes in high-tech health solutions, but that doesn't preclude his use of more unconventional methods. The New York-based Oz has experimented successfully with music, massage, and aromatherapy in his operating and recovery rooms. Since prevention is key to heart (and overall) health, he advocates a lifestyle that incorporates complementary medicine. Formerly an expert on Oprah, Oz will helm his own talk show beginning September 14. Don't Let Pregnancy Get You Down
This is huge. The University of Miami Medical School has found that massage therapy benefits pregnant women with major depression and their infants. Twelve weeks of twice-weekly touch therapy reduced depression and blood cortisol levels (a sign of stress) in the women both during and immediately after pregnancy. Considering that post-partum depression is a risk even for those in excellent mental health, massage could be considered essential for all mothers-to-be. In addition, the subjects' newborns had lower cortisol levels and performed better on neonatal assessment tests than those in the sans-massage control group. What's good for mom can be great for baby.
In Other News:
Changing Lives
During four deployments in the middle east, the "hardest time of her life," Navy pilot Stacie Rine relied on massage therapy to manage stress. Now that she's out of the service, she's opened two Florida massage studios to make the sanity-saving benefits available to others. When you discover something amazing, you just have to share.
Now That's a Stimulus Program
Linda Clifford, a professional massage therapist in Illinois, has inspired her community by offering free therapy to the recently unemployed.
Anatomical Inspiration
What do dinosaurs and massage therapy have in common? The San Diego Natural History Museum! Each week in August, the museum will feature practitioners from a different bodywork or fitness regimen: Pilates, Yoga, Massage Therapy, and Physical Therapy. Health and Wellness Month is a tie-in to the BODY WORLDS exhibit by Plastination inventor Gunther von Hagens. Take a close look at real human muscles, and then take care of your own.
In Other News
Good for Both Body and Wallet: Canadian researchers proved that massage therapy has long-term benefits for low back pain sufferers. Improvements in feeling and function persisted a full year after treatment, making massage wonderfully cost-effective--as well as just plain effective.
Train Harder and Run Faster: Even hard-core athletes who live by a "no pain, no gain" rule can benefit from a regular rub-down. Marathon runners in particular use sports massage to increase circulation, flexibility, and endorphin levels.
A Winning Career
Heisman Trophy holder Ricky Williams still plays for the N.F.L, but he's also a masseur-in-training. His spiritually adventurous nature has often led him on unconventional paths: At the height of his football career, he traveled around the world incognito, staying in hostels and studying ayurvedic medicine and yoga. In 2006, after suffering a broken arm and finding alternative treatment helpful, he took several classes in craniosacral therapy and discovered the rewards of healing others. Massage aids both physical and mental health--eight medically-proven benefits are summarized here.
In Other News:
Great Gadgets
An Australian deep-tissue massage therapist has invented this tool to soften scar tissue--even from old injuries--alleviating pain and speeding recovery. And here's something for your office: a forearm massager to combat keyboard strain. It's sure to be a conversation-starter.
Doulas, Hear This!
According to a Taiwanese study, foot massage helps new mothers get the rest they need.
Star Students
The Cortiva Institute of Seattle should be proud: it boasts three winners of Massage Therapy Foundation's annual Student Case Report Contest. This national competition encourages the integration of original research into massage education programs. The Massage Therapy Foundation also sponsors a Practitioner Case Report Contest and awards generous research and community service grants. Find out more on the foundation's website, which also features a research database and access to the peer-reviewed International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork.
In Other News:
Helping Hands
Poker players often sit at the table for 12 hours at a stretch. Luckily for the stars of the World Series of Poker, a cadre of massage therapists provides relief during these high-stakes games. Plenty of office workers sit 12 hours at a stretch, too. Luckily, massage therapists make office calls. Let your favorite boss know about morale-boosting corporate massage.
Relaxing Retreat
If I lived in Illinois, I'd be booking a room (or a hermitage) right now. Located in Frankfort, 45 minutes south of Chicago, the soothing grounds of this Franciscan convent are open to everyone. The Sisters believe it is their mission to provide both spiritual and physical healing. So in addition to natural beauty and quiet, affordable accommodations, visitors may enjoy professional bodywork and facials at the Poverello Holistic Center.
Older and Better
Korean researchers found that hand massage helped elderly subjects rest more easily. After receiving hand and forearm massage every other evening for two weeks, residents of a long-term care facility reported diminished fatigue and greater sleep satisfaction. Brittle bones that can be easily broken are another chronic problem of aging. Having a stable footing is one way to avoid a potentially disasterous fall. Amazingly, a French study showed improved balance in nursing home residents after only one session of manual therapy on their feet and ankles.
In other news:
It Takes Two: Sensual massage can improve your sex life. Consider mutual relaxation a means to satisfaction... or vice versa.
Don't Just Lie There: Looking for more than a kneading? Thai Yoga Massage integrates active methods such as acu-pressure and gentle twisting. The therapist stretches your body into different yoga positions, or asanas, to decompress the spine and increase flexibility. An Iowa masseuse reports on its profound positive effect on her clients.
