Massage Can Help Achieve Wellness (Denver Post)

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Massage can help achieve wellness

By Linda J. Buch
Special to The Denver Post

POSTED: 06/15/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT

(Jupiter Images )

Q:I have all sorts of aches and pains from being over 55 years old. My friends all recommend massage. Is it really beneficial or just an indulgence? — L. Rodriguez, Denver

A: Massage was used in ancient Greece and Rome, as well as in the earliest civilizations in China, Japan, Egypt and India. Once considered an "alternative" medicine, massage therapy is recommended by many medical professionals to patients suffering from anxiety, sciatica, fibromyalgia, stress, athletic injury and general soreness. According to the Mayo Clinic, massage has also been found to be helpful for those undergoing cancer treatments to ease their anxiety, pain and fatigue.

"Massage" is the abbreviated term for what is, more appropriately, massage therapy. There are more than 80 types of massage therapy (Swedish, Shiatsu, Thai, and Trigger Point Therapy are some), all with specific applications and methods for treatment. In general, a massage therapist will use many techniques to rub, press and manipulate muscle and soft tissue in order to relieve pain and stress.

To be sure that you are putting yourself into the right hands — literally — look for credentials. "A massage therapist should be a graduate of an accredited, respectable brick- and-mortar school," says Elaine Calenda, academic dean of the Boulder College of Massage Therapy. "They should have no fewer than 500 hours of training."

Today, many states, including Colorado, require massage therapists to be registered or licensed. Before being licensed or registered in Colorado, the therapist must undergo a background check and must prove that he or she has graduated from an accredited school with at least 500 hours training.

"Graduates of massage schools study anatomy, physiology and kinesiology in depth," says Calenda. "A well-trained therapist knows how to cater to your specific needs and give you an effective massage regardless of whether you need a light touch or something much deeper. You should never be bruised or sore — you should leave the session feeling comfortable, relaxed and invigorated."

Massage promotes blood flow, which makes the therapy popular among athletes for the relief of muscle soreness, rehabilitation and healing of sports injuries. Massage stimulates the lymphatic system (the body's waste management system), helps blood vessels dilate (which slows breathing and heart rate), and improves sleep.

Stress is toxic to the body and can be the root cause for expensive ailments such as hypertension and anxiety disorder. Allowing the body to relax, even if just for an hour, can make the difference between constant anxiety and pain and improved overall wellness.

A national survey conducted in 2008 by the National Institutes of Health found that 38 percent of adults use complimentary and alternative medicine. While massage therapy should not be substituted for regular medical care, it has established itself as a viable and often, essential, part of a good wellness program.

Linda J. Buch is a certified fitness trainer in Denver; linda@ljbalance.com.

The Healing Touch: Benefits of Massage (Ladies' Home Journal)

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0600

The Healing Touch: Benefits of Massage

You probably think of massage as a once-in-a-while splurge. But medical research shows that the feel-good treatment has real health benefits.

By Christine Fellingham

Get Relief from Insomnia

If you're one of the estimated 40 million Americans who had a massage last year, you know that a good one feels fantastic. Now medical research is showing that this relaxing ritual can actually improve your health, and not just in a vague, happiness-boosting way.

"More and more, we find massage can have measurable medical benefits for a variety of conditions," says Brent Bauer, MD, director of complementary integrative medicine at the Mayo Clinic. Research has shown that it can increase the number of cancer-fighting cells in breast cancer patients, make osteoarthritis sufferers more mobile, and help reduce the spasms of Parkinson's disease. It offers potent benefits to healthy people, as well. "Massage -- even self-massage -- slows the heart rate and lowers the level of the stress hormone cortisol," says Tiffany Field, PhD, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine.

The evidence is apparently convincing family doctors: Fifty-seven percent of people who talked to their doctor about having massages reported that their doctor strongly recommended or encouraged them, says an American Massage Therapy Association survey. In fact, twice as many doctors recommended it to patients in 2006 than just five years earlier -- though it's still hard to get insurance reimbursement. "Even for sports injuries, major surgery, and spinal injuries, only about half of insurance companies cover it in some way," says Dr. Field. It's best to use a licensed practitioner who can target the massage to your situation. Here's a quick guide.

Get Relief from Insomnia

Massage prescription: Lots of anecdotal evidence -- and some research on chronic fatigue -- supports the idea that a good rub can lead to a good night's sleep. Medical facilities including the Mayo Clinic and South Miami Hospital use bedside massage to help patients relax and sleep more easily.

Doctor's orders: A weekly massage is ideal.

Self-help: Give yourself -- or have someone give you -- a nightly foot massage, suggests Dr. Field. "Apply moderate pressure and slow, soothing motions for at least five minutes. That gives you time for a relaxation response so you fall asleep more easily, sleep well, and wake up more refreshed."

Calm a Headache

Massage prescription: Massage decreases cortisol, the stress hormone that can tighten muscles, triggering a tension headache. Studies show simple neck and shoulder massage reduced both the number of chronic headaches people got and how long each one lasted. Weekly Trager massages decreased medication usage by 44 percent. Even those with hard-to-treat migraines can get relief from weekly craniosacral massages and may also sleep better.

Doctor's orders: Get massages once or even twice a week at first, then less often as you feel better. Choose the Trager or craniosacral technique if you prefer to keep your clothes on during treatments. And be sure that no one but a licensed expert massages your neck -- in rare cases an intense neck massage done incorrectly can make an injury worse or even cause a stroke.

Self-help: Place two tennis balls in a sock. Lie on your back on a flat surface and place the sock at the base of your skull with your chin tucked down. Gently massage your temples and slowly breathe in and out, says Deborah Engen, a licensed massage therapist who has participated in massage studies at the Mayo Clinic. "The trick is to start massaging as soon as the pangs begin. It's easier to treat a mild headache than a severe one."

Lessen Chronic Pain

Massage prescription: Scientists are finding that regular massage may lessen the chronic pain of fibromyalgia and reduce the use of pain medication. It may also keep discomfort lower for up to three months after the treatments.

Doctor's orders: Get a 30-minute full-body massage twice a week for at least six weeks. Avoid deep-tissue massage or any other technique involving firm pressure. If someone is already hypersensitive to pain, intense touching may be too uncomfortable. If so, "You may find relief with a movement method like Trager," says Dr. Field. Be sure to tell the therapist what feels good and what hurts.

Self-help: Massaging yourself won't work, but if you're doing Trager, ask for training in Mentastics, Trager's self-help relaxation technique.

Soothe a Backache

Massage prescription: Moderate massage can help relieve lower-back pain, says Dr. Field. For intense pain in a limited area, consider reflexology, a therapy in which specific points on the foot are massaged, helping the back. After three reflexology massages in one week, 63 percent of patients with herniated discs reported pain reduction, notes one study.

Doctor's orders: "When you get a massage, tell the therapist where it hurts, and speak up if pressure causes pain," says Engen.

Self-help: For the whole back, says Engen, buy a foam physio roller or foam "noodle" pool toy. Lie on top so it's aligned vertically with your spine. "With knees bent, roll side to side so the noodle presses against your body from neck to lower back." For your lower back, Dr. Field suggests sitting against a wall, with a tennis ball at the base of your spine. Move slowly from side to side, pressing against the ball, while rolling it along your lower back.

Cut Carpal Tunnel Pain

Massage prescription: Massage can prevent and reduce the pain of this repetitive stress injury. In one study the combination of self-massage and weekly treatments by a massage therapist reduced pain and increased grip strength (severe CTS weakens the hand's ability to grasp).

Doctor's orders: Weekly massage of your arms, wrists, and hands, using moderate pressure.

Self-help: Push up your sleeve and rest the arm that hurts straight in front of you on a table, palm up. Using the fingertips of your other hand, massage or rub upward from your fingertips to your elbow. (If the touch hurts, stroke more gently.) Repeat slowly, 10 to 20 times; then flip your arm so it's resting palm down on the table and do the same number of touches. If pain hasn't subsided, repeat on both sides up to three more times.

Heal After You Have Surgery

Massage prescription: A 2007 survey of hospitals with massage-therapy programs found that 71 percent of them offer massage to patients for stress management and comfort and more than two-thirds for pain management. "We found that patients who received massages the first day after cardiac surgery -- and daily after that -- had significant improvements in their pain, anxiety, and tension," says Dr. Bauer. Bedside massages are routine care for cardiac and colorectal surgical patients at the Mayo Clinic; some breast-cancer patients at Scripps Memorial, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, and the University of Texas; some presurgery patients at Duke; and those in the Palliative Care Unit at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Doctor's orders: Any practitioner employed by a hospital will be trained to adapt the massage to your medication, blood pressure, and incisions. Typically the therapist will use a combination of Swedish strokes and lymphatic-drainage techniques designed to help expel fluids that can accumulate in the body after surgery.

Self-help: If swelling continues after you heal from surgery -- it's common after breast-cancer operations -- you may be able to learn massage techniques to reduce discomfort. Compression garments may also help.

Originally published in Ladies' Home Journal, March 2009.

Elements Therapeutic Massage - Colorado Springs