November 2008 Newsletter
Happy Halloween!
Wow, the past two months have flown by! The lovely weather of Autumn is giving way to the wetness of approaching Winter.
Massage in the News
So much good news coming out about massage in recent weeks:
Massage helps reduce pain in post-surgery patients:
The study, which was funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and lasted from 2003 to 2005, involved 605 veterans — most of whom were white men with an average age of 64, who had chest or abdominal surgery. All patients received routine postoperative care. Two experimental groups, however, received additional individual attention from a massage therapist: One group got a 20-minute visit, during which the patient and the therapist talked but no massage was given, and another group received a 20-minute back massage for up to five days following their operations. The massage group, the study found, reported markedly less intense and less unpleasant pain and less anxiety than patients who got standard pain medication or individual attention but no massage. Dr. Daniel Hinshaw, a surgeon in the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and one of the study’s co-authors, says that when asked a day after surgery, some patients reported that massage delivered about as much pain relief as a dose from a morphine drip. Hinshaw suggests that massage functions by creating a competing sensation to block pain or by generating endorphin-like chemicals in the body, which reduce pain and promote a sense of well-being. He also notes the crucial — and often forgotten — role of touch in medicine: Human touch can help alleviate anxiety and ease pain. “Patients crave contact,” says Hinshaw. “They want some kind of comforting presence.”
Massage helps reduce pain and anxiety in cancer patients. Sanjay Gupta, MD, reports:
The overlap of mental and physical boosts makes sense, given the biochemistry that’s in play when your body is massaged. Levels of feel-good neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine spike, while measures of the stress hormone cortisol drop. This is the same phenomenon that’s at work when you feel the fabled runner’s or exerciser’s high, and it’s also one of the things that makes a post-workout massage particularly satisfying. For people whose workouts lead to neck and back pain — or whose existing neck and back pain prevent them from exercising at all — massage has answers too.
It has been fairly well documented that massage therapy provided by a licensed or certified professional produces real relief that may last even months. Several studies have shown that a rubdown works well at the other end of the age spectrum too: babies and infants who are massaged tend to cry less, appear more relaxed and interact better with their mothers.
November Specials
Early Bird Special – Save $10 if you book an appointment that starts before 4:30pm on a weekday appointment. Just enter the code “EARLYBIRD” on the checkout page of my website. Or, if you pay with cash (returning clients only), we can deduct the price off the session at time of payment.
Half-off Hot Stones – Once again I’m extending the 50% off hot stone add-on special – you can add a hot stone massage to any treatment this November for only $10.
Exercise of the Month
For this exercise you need a five pound bag of rice. We’re going to strengthen the diaphragm, the primary muscle of breathing.
Lay on your back, with knees supported by a pillow or two. Place the bag of rice on your abdomen, directly below your ribcage. Breathe deeply into your belly, lifting the bag of rice with each breath. While you are doing this exercise, place one hand on your belly, and one hand on your chest. With each breath, let your hand on your belly be lifted by your breath. The hand on your chest should lift only slightly, and that after your ‘belly” hand. That’s the signal to you that you are breathing deeply into your abdomen, or as I like to say at the start of a massage session, “breathe all the way down to your pelvis.”
Continue this exercise for two to five minutes, repeating daily. In almost no time at all, you’ll notice that you are breathing more deeply in your general living. Deep breathing is a great way to stay more relaxed, and also helps you to receive bodywork sessions more readily, as well.
Gift Certificates
With the winter holidays approaching, you may be thinking about gift giving for loved ones. As you know, I sell 30, 60, 90, 120 minute sessions in 1, 5, and 10 session packages. If you buy 5 massage gift certificates, you’ll receive 10% off the total cost, and if you buy 10, you’ll receive 20% off – that’s like buying 8 and getting free!
Massage is a great gift because it shows that you really care about them in a way that is unique: through skilled, touch filled with loving-kindness.
How can you use these certificates? Well, I have one client who’s a real estate agent, and he gives them to his clients when they close on a house. I have another client who gives them out as “atta-boys” to his employees who perform especially well. And I have another client who has in the past used them to give to his friends for Christmas presents. Massage is great gift!
That’s all I have for now. I’ll be posting a new “Care and Feeding of Your Inner Bear” video in a few days, and when I do, I’ll send out a quick note for that. Have a great November!
Loading...