Complimentary Therapies Are on the Rise

Back pain is common in the U.S., affecting 8 out of 10 people at some point in their lives, according to Medline Plus, a publication of the National Institutes of Health, with research proving that massage therapy has been shown to improve back pain. In new research, investigators from the Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies, Harvard Medical School Osher Research Center set out to examine the associations between the perceived helpfulness of various complementary and alternative therapies (CAM), of which massage is one, for back pain. Other CAM therapies include chiropractic, herbs, tai chi, yoga and meditation. The investigators used data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey, according to a press release published on www.pubmed.gov. Among the results:

• Approximately 6 percent of the U.S. population used CAM to treat their back pain in 2002. Sixty percent of respondents who used CAM for back pain perceived a "great deal" of benefit.

• The factor associated with perceived benefit from CAM modalities was reporting that a reason for using CAM was that "conventional medical treatment would not help."

• The two factors associated with less perceived benefit from CAM modalities were fair-to-poor self-reported health status and referral by a conventional medical practitioner for CAM. "The majority of respondents who used CAM for back pain perceived benefit," the investigators noted. "Specific factors and therapies associated with perceived benefit warrant further investigation." The article ran in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

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Reflexology Basics

Reflexology is a method of massaging specific areas of the feet, hands and even ears to relieve nervous tension, promote healing and relieve stress in other parts of the body.  The understanding is that certain areas in these appendages corresponds to every part in the body.  What this means is that areas of the feet, hands and ears reflect other known areas of the rest of your body.  For instance the ends of your toes and fingers are a reflection of your brain and head, the low back is towards your heel.  And each side of the foot, hands and ears corresponds to that side of the body, i.e. right hand, right side.  Reflexology is a form of bodywork that can be very specific in having only the hands/feet (and sometimes ears) worked on and/or included in other various types of massage.

One of the nice things about reflexology is this is something that you can do yourself to help you have an immediate relief in whatever might ail you until you can see either your massage therapist or reflexologist.  The basics are pretty easy.  To stimulate healing in your body through your feet, hands and/or ears find the points that are sore or painful and put pressure there by massaging it.  You can use your hands for the feet and ears or use other things for your feet such as a ball or wooden foot roller.  Use for a few minutes every day.  There is a great interactive reflexology chart for your feet and hands at Dorling Kindersley books website.  Of course for the ears, check out the chart above.


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What Size Are You? It doesn't matter!

We all have our own body issues, things that we don't like about ourselves that we see differently then everyone else sees.  And when it comes to massage and having to expose those areas that we don't like to our massage therapist can be very hard for some people.

As a massage therapist, I look at and treat the body differently then you do.  I do not notice that you might be overweight or that you have cellulite in various areas or that you think your legs or butt are to big.  All complaints I've heard from clients who don't like their various parts.  For me, I look at the body and how I can help heal it.  I really don't notice cellulite if I'm working on your legs, or if you have cankles, or if you think you're too thin or too heavy.  These are all things we criticize enough about ourselves.  My focus is your whole body!  What can I do to make you feel wonderful and comfortable and help you relieve any pains that you might be having!  Though this might sound a bit weird, I visualize the muscles under the skin and whether I can 'get rid of' the knots that you have or how your body is reacting to the massage and the pressure I am doing.  Again, I do not care what body issues you have or what size you are.  I care about you the person, your body and how I can help heal it and make you feel that your body is perfect just the way it is.

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Natural Relief for Constipation

Getting our stomach massaged is not something we usually think of when we think of massage. Even for my own style of massage, I don't usually include the stomach unless asked. There are some clients who regularly want their abs massaged and some who have asked about it yet never want their stomach touched. Despite the lack of clients who do want abdominal massage, it can have a significant affect on your body. Abdominal massage does help increase bowel movements, especially when constipated, as well as helps decrease gastrointestinal symptoms.

With all the ads for laxatives, it seems we have a problem with this not so much talked about syndrome. Yet, obviously there are many people who have constipation. Constipation usually means you've been depriving your body of essential things such as water, fiber and adequate exercise. A long-term remedy to constipation can be as simple as a daily walk and a few dietary changes. However a short term remedy could be your own hands. You can self massage your stomach for a bit of relief (as well as asking your massage therapist to include your abdominals as part of your next massage).

To massage your stomach make sure to use some type of lotion or oil. Very little is needed. Lie on your back and use your palms or fingertips. Press in lightly and stroke down the left side of your abdomen towards the feet, continue around to the right side and stroke up towards you head. Basically you will start in a large clockwise circle and continue this path into smaller and smaller circles. Do this for about five to ten minutes. If you have an ulcer, hernia, or high blood pressure it is best to not do this.

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Touch: Our Basic Need

I think we all know that we have five senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, smell. Sometimes all these senses come into play for things such as eating. Sometimes we only use a few of these at a time like when we drive. We know that people can live their lives without sight, without sound, or a sense of smell. However, touch is a essential part of our human existence, our human need that we require to help sustain our lives.

Touch is a an often an unappreciated sense that can be excluded from our daily life. There is a quote I saw from Margaret Atwood's book The Blind Assassin: "Touch comes before sight, before speech. It's the first language and the last, and it always tells the truth." If you think about it touch is the first thing that happens when we are born and it's the first thing that new parents want to do: touch and hold their beautiful newborn. It has been proven that with premature and underweight babies that touch will help them grow and sustain life at alarming rates. And as parents, when our children are hurting through either physical or emotional pain, again what do we want to do? Touch and hold them and make it all go away.

Many people do go without touch on a daily basis which to me is a sad thing. I used to have a client that would get massaged just to be touched. For whatever reasons this need was not met in her life so she found the way to get it met. It really did sadden me that she didn't have this basic need met enough in her daily life. I know for me, I'm what would be called a touchy-feely person. Besides what I do for a living of massaging and touching people, I am always touching my friends when I talk or when I see or leave them through hugs and kisses. Personally this is my biggest sense that I like to have full-filled and that's probably why I am so touchy-feely. Touch evokes emotions. It evokes feelings and communication through pleasure, through pain, through sensuality. It is a basic form of human interaction no matter what race, nationality or language that you are. Touch brings us all together.

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Your First Time (At least for Massage)

Never had a massage before? Feel a little nervous? Should you do anything to prepare for a massage? What should you expect? These are a few of the common questions and/or fears for the first-time massage client. Most people are nervous the first time they get a massage. This is actually very normal even though it seems like a contradiction. There is the fear of the unknown as well as feeling vulnerable to putting your body and trust into someone you've never met before. Once you start getting massaged and feel comfortable with the massage therapist those fears usually subside and you will relax.

You will not really need to 'prepare' for a massage because your job will be to just lay there and let the therapist do all the work. Though you may want to drink a small bit of water and/or maybe take a shower prior. That's it. Simple. What you should expect is to get what you pay for. If you want a relaxing massage, you should be relaxed. If you need those knots and pains to be worked on or a sports massage then that's what you should expect. The main thing you will need to do is communicate prior to the massage of what you want as well as during the massage. If your therapist's pressure is too light or too deep for you, please speak up.

I hope this has helped you make the decision to get a massage and get passed those fears, questions and concerns. Now the big thing is....when will you make your first appointment?

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Complimentary verses Altenative

On my last post, there was comment made from John. I have tried various times to comment back yet for whatever reason it is not posting. So I thought I'd (finally) make a small blog to respond. John is right in regards to the terms of alternative verses complementary. Alternative is a term that is used as way to describe something that is not mainstream and alternate to 'standard' types of practice. I stand corrected in misuse of the word. The wording of complimentary is definitely the choice word to use, especially for the many modalities such as Reiki, acupuncture, yoga, and massage to be used in conjunction with 'standard' or Western types of health care. As the word states, it is a compliment to go with whatever types of health care that you choose to use. Thanks John for helping clarify that.

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Myth of Cancer Massage

There is a myth out there that a person who has cancer should not be massage. And I said this is a myth. Many massage schools teach their students that massage promotes the spread of cancer by increasing circulation. This included the school that I attended just a few short seven years ago. This myth of course is carried over into the mainstream with doctors, patients and other health-care providers to believe this is true. If this were true then health-care providers would also discourage exercise and other activity for people with cancer as this increases circulation also.

Since my initial classes, I have found through medically funded research that this myth was based on old understandings of how cancer spreads. Thankfully, for cancer clients newer and new research has shown the benefits of massage. Per research done at the Sahlgrenska Academy at Goteborg University in Goteborg, Sweden, they showed that massage relieves nausea in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Many major hospitals have formed an Integrative or Alternative Medicine department such as Beaumont Hospital in Michigan.

Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy have strong effects on the body such as severe pain, nausea, fatigue and depression. Massage can help lessen those effects and give a client some much needed pain relief and anxiety relief. We all know how devastating chemotherapy is to the body as well as to the soul. If a client can gain benefits from massage such as pain relief, stress relief, lessened depression, as well as increase levels of dopamine, serotonin, natural killer cells and lymphocytes then that is an amazing thing. Plus massage is natural. And for many clients even just the simple act of touch is an uplifting thing.

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Pillows for Great Body Health

Do you wake up day after day with aches and pains in your neck, back or shoulders? Have you ever considered the possibility that it could be your pillows causing this problem, or even the way your sleeping. Every day many people wake up feeling like this and don't understand why. There are ways you can help improve you bodies health during your sleeping time... use a good pillow that works for your body and your sleeping position. The spine has three natural curves to it. When you sleep you want to work with these natural curves, not against them. When you position your body against these curves that is when you get those morning aches and pains and kinks in your neck.

The best sleeping position for your body is the side. You want to use a pillow that supports your neck and head and does not position your neck towards either shoulder by being too high up or too low down. If the pillow has positioned your neck too close to either shoulder this will cause the kink or pain in your neck. Also another thing you can do for side sleeping is position a smaller pillow between your legs as this will help prevent your hips from twisting. The second best position for sleeping is your back. Again, the pillow for the back sleepers should keep your neck in-line with the spine and back and not push your head forwards towards your chest. So find a smaller pillow to support this style of sleeping then if you were the side sleeper. Another idea for back sleepers to help their bodies is to use a small towel under your hips to help the natural curve in your back, or a pillow under the knees to relieve the pressure in your lower back. The absolute worst position to sleep in is on your stomach. This position places too much pressure on your neck and the upper and lower back areas as it presses the neck into an unnatural position towards your back and undue pressure on the curve of the lower back. This can be a major cause of neck pain. So if you wake every day with these pains, maybe it's time to reposition your body and buy a new pillow.

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website or follow me on Twitter.

Simple Self-Massage

Ever have that nagging pain in your shoulder that you just can't quite reach? There is an easy way to do a bit of self-massage to get into some of those areas that you just can't quite reach. What you need is either a tennis ball cut in half or a kitchen towel with a knot in it. Once you have one of these items (1/2 the tennis ball), place it on the floor. You will need to do this on the floor instead of a couch or bed as that is too soft. Lay down slowly on the ball or towel. Do not rush this as it may place too much pressure as well as it will probably hurt. When you have laid down on the ball, slowly roll your body around it. This rolling gives your body the (self) massage. Do this for one to three minutes max. Any longer then that and it will counteract the pain and will make your knot even more sore. Slowly lift your body of the ball or towel and your done. That's it. Simple self massage. :)

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website or follow me on Twitter.

Chair Massage for your Company's Bottom Line

As stated in the previous post, 40% of job turnover is due to stress. These high turn-overs can continually cost your company money and lost time as spend time to search for a new employee in addition to the cost and time it takes to train this new person. Companies all over are looking for answers to reduce costly stress-related absenteeism, low morale, reduced productivity as well as the stated employee turnover. Supporting, encouraging and being proactive in your staffs' individual health is a wise investment in your company's bottom line. Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage encourages you to consider an easy, efficient, natural and cost-effective on-site chair massage program for your organization. I work to relieve the tension and pressure accumulated in the back, shoulders, wrists, and neck of your most valuable asset - your staff. Plus the results of chair massage are immediate. Take this into account:

• Chair massage increases staff loyalty, employee retention and increased productivity
• Massage reduces anxiety, stress, tension and muscle aches leaving the mind and body rejuvenated
• Chair massage can be scheduled for the same amount of time as an employee break
• A chair massage program shows the employer's proactive commitment to the health and well-being of their employees

Little space is required for chair massage and can be set up in an office, break room, or conference room. Chair massage is worked through the clothing utilizing a mixture of massage and acupressure techniques. With a chair massage program not only will your employees promote your company telling people about what a great perk they receive at such a terrific company, in addition your company's productivity and bottom will be improved as well.

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website or follow me on Twitter.

Does Stress Cost Your Company Money?

Yes, stress does cost your company money and time and the numbers are really staggering. Per the American Institute of stress website, consider these statistics:

• 40% of job turnover is due to stress
• Repetitive musculoskeletal injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome have become the nations leading workplace health cost and account for almost a third of all Worker's Compensation award
• In California, the number of Workers Comp claims for mental stress increased almost 700% over eight years and 90% were successful with an average award of $15,000 compared to a national average of $3,420

Companies all over are looking for answers to reduce costly stress related absenteeism, low morale, reduced productivity and employee turnover. Supporting and encouraging individual health is a wise investment in your companies bottom line.

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website

The Self-Indulgence of Massage

Do you feeling guilty about getting a massage? Does it seem self-indulgent and selfish? Massage actually has many important benefits to your physical and mental health. It can help you maintain your emotional, mental and physical well-being, especially when it is part of your health plan. It addresses a variety of health conditions, with stress-related tension being the most common. Massage therapy offers a natural, non-invasive, drug-free and humanistic approach based on the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

Benefits of Massage

• Relaxing: Massage calms the nervous system and promotes a sense of peace.
• Soothing: Massage eases tension and anxiety.
• Healing: Massage stimulates the lymphatic system, which carries away the body’s waste products.
• Improves breathing: Massage calms the body as a whole, which in turn quiets the lungs into its more natural state of breathing.
• Improves circulation: Massage improves blood circulation which delivers oxygen and nutrients to the cells.
• Eases tension, stiffness and pain: Massage prevents and relieves muscle cramps and spasms.

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website

Prescription for Stress Relief

We know how much stress affects our body and our health. Serious health issues including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and even certain cancers, according to doctors, have been linked to chronic stress. It can also contribute to difficulty sleeping, headaches, digestive problems and back pain.

When you receive a massage, it activates the nervous system and sends the mind and body into a state of rest and recovery, as well as giving you the much needed stress relief. And relieving your stress can and will be beneficial for your long-term health without the unhealthful side effects that modern medicine treatments can have. Maybe your next prescription should be a massage.

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website

Are you Drinking Enough?

How do you know if you are drinking enough water? "A good test is to look at your urine," points out Cleveland Clinic nutritionist Andrea Dunn. "If it’s clear or pale yellow, you’re doing a good job of staying hydrated. But if it’s intense yellow or gold, you probably need to drink more water."

But not everyone likes water. Many people prefer soft drinks, fruit juices, sports drinks, coffee and other drinks. All these drinks can help quench your body’s thirst for fluids, but they typically contain 100 calories or more per serving. "The best alternatives to water are diluted fruit juices, and non-fat or skim milk" explains Ms. Dunn. "But these drinks shouldn't supplant water. Take note of how much sugar is in these alternatives. Sugar slows down the rate at which fluid is absorbed into the body. If you have trouble drinking water because you don’t like the taste, try adding a twist of lemon or lime or a splash of fruit juice. And cold water tastes better."

Ms. Dunn notes that while bottled waters are very popular, tap water works just as well and is more economical. It's also safe. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates tap water and requires that it be analyzed for chemicals and bacteria. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates bottled water, doesn't require that it be analyzed for these substances. In addition to water and other drinks, many foods are also good sources of water. Juicy fruits like oranges, grapefruit, grapes, watermelon and apples can help keep you healthy and hydrated. Carrots, tomatoes, tuna, yogurt, cottage cheese, soups, rice and pasta also contain plenty of water.

"The key is to think and drink small amounts," suggests Dunn. "The easiest way to stay hydrated is to drink a half-a-cup of water (four ounces) each hour you’re awake. When you get in the car, take along something to drink. When you sit down to watch TV, have something to drink. When you go to a meeting, take along something to drink." All the little sips will add up at the end of the day.

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website.

Are you Dehydrated?

Is water really necessary? Almost everyone knows that you should drink eight glasses of water a day. Cleveland Clinic nutritionist Andrea Dunn says, "Absolutely. Almost every cell in your body needs water to function properly. Many of the patients I see don’t drink enough water. They aren't dehydrated, but they aren't drinking as much water as they should -- especially considering how much your body needs."

The human body, which is made up of between 55 and 75 percent water (lean people have more water in their bodies because muscle holds more water than fat), is in need of constant water replenishment. Consider this: Your lungs expel between two and four cups of water each day through normal breathing - even more on a cold day. If your feet sweat, there goes another cup of water. If you make half a dozen trips to the bathroom during the day, that's six cups of water. If you perspire, you expel about two cups of water (which doesn't include exercise-induced perspiration).

Ms. Dunn points out that a person would have to lose 10 percent of her body weight in fluids to be considered dehydrated, but as little as two percent can affect athletic performance, cause tiredness and dull critical thinking abilities. Adequate water consumption can help lessen the chance of kidney stones, keep joints lubricated, prevent and lessen the severity of colds and flu and help prevent constipation. "I encourage patients to drink eight to 10 cups of water each day. Those who do report that they generally feel better," notes Ms. Dunn.

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website.

Shoulder Care Checklist (Part 4)

This is the final part of the four part series on the guide and care of your shoulders. I hope you have learned something great about taking care of your body!

The Shoulder Care Checklist
To prevent shoulder problems from occurring, always practice healthy shoulder habits with these helpful
ideas:

• Maintain good posture - stand with shoulders back and keep shoulders back when on the computer
• Avoid excessive and repetitive use of your shoulders
• If you sit at work, take frequent breaks and stretch
• Don’t put undue stress on the shoulders with heavy backpacks or purses
• Warm up your arms before exercising
• Consult your chiropractor, massage therapist or doctor if you injure or develop pain in your shoulder, even if it seems minor
• Do any maintenance exercises that is given to you
• Stretch shoulders frequently
• Strengthen shoulder muscles

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website.

Shoulder Issues...Massage will help! (Part 3)

This is part three of a four part series on the guide and care of your shoulders.


Massage Therapy Can Help
Massage therapists can help when shoulder problems occur. More importantly, they can help prevent these kinds of problems from happening in the first place. Massage therapists can evaluate your shoulder through range of motion tests and other assessment procedures. They can then give you recommendations on the best course of treatment.

Their first priority is to make you feel more comfortable by getting rid of your pain. They can do this with specialized massage techniques. They may also use heat or hydrotherapy. To help the process along and to help prevent further problems your massage therapist can also give you exercises to help strengthen your shoulder and help maintain your mobility as well as refer you to a chiropractor for further treatment as needed. And again as the previous post, do NOT ignore your shoulder pain! The pain does not 'go away' it's more that you just get used to the pain until it gets so bad that you finally decide to get treatment.


For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website.

Shoulder Issues and Problems (Part 2)

This is part two of a four part series on the guide and care of your shoulders.

Shoulder Problems
The shoulder is prone to a variety of problems that can give you pain and limit your range of motion. Many of these are simply caused by wear and tear. For example, a common injury is tendinitis of one of the rotator cuff muscles called the supraspinatus. Through poor posture or overuse, the tendon becomes inflamed and painful. When the bursa becomes inflamed you develop what is known as bursitis. This can be extremely painful.

Trigger points, small knots in the muscles, are very common around the shoulder and can refer pain and tenderness into the muscles or joints. The referred pain can mimic other shoulder problems like tendinitis and frozen shoulder. Other issues such as sprains and dislocations typically result from falls. It’s a natural reaction to reach your arm out to catch yourself when falling, but the impact can strain or tear the shoulder ligaments. If the impact is severe enough, the humerus may be knocked right out of the socket and the shoulder becomes dislocated.

With a severe trauma, the bones may actually fracture or break. The collarbone is most likely to break although the humerus can sometimes break as well. When this happens the arm needs to be immobilized. Fractures can take up to three months to heal.

Whenever you have a shoulder problem, you tend to limit your movement to minimize the pain. This can lead to frozen shoulder. Your shoulder becomes stiff and you quickly lose mobility. It can soon become extremely painful to lift your arm. If you develop a frozen shoulder, it will take a long time and lots of therapy to regain your normal movement. Sometimes the only option is surgery. The best medicine in this case is prevention. As soon as you develop any pain or discomfort in your shoulder, see your chiropractor or massage therapist as soon as possible for treatment. Pretending like it doesn't hurt that much, or that the pain will go away will not make the problem better. Actually, ignoring the pain will make the problem worse. Don’t risk getting a serious and debilitating shoulder condition.

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website.

Stimulating Your Energy Through Breath

Recently I came across an article on Dr. Andrew Weil's website about breathing techniques. His article lists three different types of breathing exercises for either relaxing or energizing your body. I personally have tried various kinds of breathing for meditation, relaxation, or even to increase the oxygen in my body and energize my body in place of reaching for my favorite caffeine fix. Now don't get me wrong, if I can have a great cup of Newhall Coffee, I will. However like most people I do realize that most of the time I can't drink coffee late in the day or my already erratic sleep habits get even worse.

The main breathing exercise I want to write about is the Stimulating Breath. This technique is specifically aimed at raising your energy as well as your alertness and it really is very simple. If it is done correctly you should feel invigorated. I have done this in the past and will admit you look a little silly doing it, so it is not something you want to be walking your office halls trying to do. However, it does work. Here are his steps:

- Inhale and exhale rapidly through your nose, keeping your mouth closed but relaxed. Your breaths in and out should be equal in duration, but as short as possible. This is a noisy breathing exercise.

- Try for three in-and-out breath cycles per second. This produces a quick movement of the diaphragm, suggesting a bellows. Breathe normally after each cycle.

- Do not do for more than 15 seconds on your first try. Each time you practice the Stimulating Breath, you can increase your time by five seconds or so, until you reach a full minute.