Welcome to the February 2009 newsletter!  It’s that time of year when susceptibility to flu and colds increases. One of the more effective (and pleasant!) ways to put the odds in your favor for staying healthy is by getting regular massages. Read the rest of this issue to learn more about how massage can help you avoid illness and keep you feeling your best.

We all do what we can to stay healthy and avoid downtime from an illness—we try to eat a healthy diet, get proper rest and some exercise, and try to stay a safe distance from people who are under the weather.

What could be a more enjoyable way to strengthen your immune system and keep your energy high than a relaxing massage session? Let everything go for an hour or so; recharge your mental and physical batteries; and then return to your busy life renewed and refreshed—now that’s the way to stay healthy!

If you have questions or want more information about how massage can help you, please ask at your next appointment. See you soon!

It’s not too late to surprise your sweetheart with a
massage gift certificate for Valentine’s Day!  Call to order ...

Massage — Nothing To Sneeze At

These days, who can afford to take time to spend a week in bed with a cold or the flu? What can you do to lessen the likelihood of falling victim to this season’s illnesses?

An online article posted at rightnreal.com, “Secrets of Women Who Never Get Sick,” makes a good point for choosing massage.

“For the past three years, Mindy Hardwick, 38, of Lake Stevens, Wash., has dodged all the major bugs while volunteering at schools and a juvenile-detention center. Her secret weapon: a monthly massage. Hardwick even sailed through a move (selling her first house) without the post-stress blahs. ‘It’s got to be the massage,’ she says. ‘I’m convinced it’s like taking medicine.’

“Most studies show that massage can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and heart rate—and lowering these is likely to cause your stress level to drop, one key to building immunity. ‘Decreasing stress increases your immune cells,’ says Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the Touch Research Institute of the University of Miami School of Medicine. ...”

Another recent Japanese study published in the Japanese Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine last year showed that massage on healthy adults provided significant improvements in mood, immune function and serum cholesterol levels.

As reported in Massage Magazine, “32 participants each received one 25-minute, full-body massage from a skilled massage therapist. Measurements were taken before and after each massage session. Measures included the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), which measured a subject’s current (state) and long-standing (trait) levels of anxiety. Blood and saliva samples were also taken in order to analyze cell levels associated with stress and immune function, as well as serum cholesterol.

“Results of the study compared baseline measures to post-massage measures, and there were significant improvement in all factors. Following the massage session, both state and trait anxiety levels decreased significantly; serum cholesterol levels were lowered; and the levels of cells indicating stress decreased. Blood tests showed significantly improved immune function as well.

“ ‘It was found in the present study that a 25-minute massage is capable of inducing psychological relaxation, in terms of reducing anxiety,’ said the study’s authors. ‘Massage therapy also modulates immune function, induces hemodilution and decreases serum cholesterol. These findings suggest the possible usefulness of massage therapy as a stress management technique and for health promotion in modern society.’ ”

As each new study shows, massage offers you so many wonderful health benefits—be sure to make your health a priority and take time for your regular massages. Your health and well-being are too important to ignore!

Stress and Your Brain

We hear a lot about how chronic stress can cause physical health problems, but what about mental function? Fear of losing mental capabilities as we age is becoming a major concern, as people live longer. According to author Karen Lawrence in an online article at suite101.com, “Less Stress for a Sharper Brain,” “The good news ... is that studies show that dealing effectively with stress can help prevent and perhaps reverse the loss of mental capacities that come with aging.

“Chronic stress damages the body and brain by releasing a hormone called cortisol that kills cells in the body, particularly in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that gathers and files sensory input as long-term memory. Prolonged and excessive production of stress hormones can cause the hippocampus to shrink, while effective stress management can encourage neurogenesis, the growth of new cells in the brain.

“Engaging in exercise and stimulating social and intellectual activities has been shown to encourage brain health by reducing stress and spurring the regeneration of cells that contribute to memory. ...”

Additionally, massage can contribute to “eliciting the relaxation response, the condition necessary to help create a healthier brain through one’s lifetime by limiting the production of cortisol and encouraging neurogenesis.”  In the 2007 article “Brain Health-Stress Management Techniques” published online by Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, Dharma Singh Khalsa includes the following observation on massage’s benefits to your brain function:

“Massage. The effectiveness of massage in the reduction of cortisol has been studied extensively in seriously ill patients where levels of stress hormones were markedly elevated. Research showed that the introduction of touch therapy caused damaging hormones to subside and chemicals promoting well-being and healing increased as a result. ...

“Paying attention to stress levels in the body by incorporating soothing and healing practices into one’s lifestyle may prove to be one of the best defenses against a deteriorating brain. While stress is certainly an inevitable part of life, adding simple measures to not only slow cell damage by reducing the production of cortisol, but also by encouraging the regeneration of cells can be another easy step towards keeping an aging brain sharp.”

Just one more reason for a massage!

Our health always seems much more valuable after we lose it.
— Author Unknown

The content of this letter is not intended to replace professional medical advice.
If you’re ill, please consult a physician.
© 2009 Massage Marketing.   Used with permission; all rights reserved.