Hello, and welcome to the March 2010 newsletter! Ready for spring? We’re fast approaching that time of year when many of us increase our activity levels. If you’ve been waiting for spring to get outside and get moving, remember to take your time building up your stamina. Pushing yourself too hard can result in injury, so it’s better to go slow until your body adjusts to the new demands you’re placing on it.

Of course, receiving your next massage can help your body to function at its best, no matter what level of activity you’re putting it through.

And if you think of physical activity as purely a spectator sport, your regular massages should be more important than ever to you. Exercise is a key way to keep your body functioning properly. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, massage can help your body to better perform its many jobs—things like improving your circulation and removing life-threatening toxins.

Read on to see several more ways that massage can help you to feel better and to stay healthier.

See you soon for your next massage!

Celebrate the coming of Spring
with a massage gift certificate
for that special person in your life!
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Your Massage Quiz:  Feeling Great or Health Benefits?

Massage’s “chicken or the egg?” question is this: Which comes first: massage’s health benefits or feeling good? In other words, is it the many health benefits that massage provides that make you feel so good, or does that wonderful, relaxed feeling open the door to improved health conditions?

One answer is that just like our chicken or the egg question, massage benefits are connected to the circle of life—the broad range of health benefits contributes to feeling great, and the better you feel, the more it supports having a healthy body.

When you consider that studies have shown massage can help to improve the function of virtually all the body’s systems, it’s easy to see why you feel so great after a massage.

We all want to lessen the likelihood of the many health risks that threaten us, such as cancer and heart disease. Of course, all of our lifestyle choices can contribute to our health conditions, but can you think of a more enjoyable way of supporting your health than your regular massages? In the grand scheme of things, nothing is more important than your health, so give yourself a pleasant boost with your next massage session! 

Massage for Older Adults

Below are excerpts from an online article by Constance McCloy, PT, EdD  Assoc. Prof.

Recent research studies indicate that therapeutic massage may significantly reduce pain and enhance mood associated with osteoarthritis of the hands and/or spine. Several studies show that massage can lower pain and anxiety levels in women dealing with breast cancer. ...

Massage has also been found to have a relaxation effect in adults who have high blood pressure; one study demonstrated that six 30-minute massages over 6 weeks reduced systolic blood pressure by 10 points (mmhg) and diastolic pressure by 5 points (mmhg). ...

One doesn’t have to have a significant health problem in order to benefit from massage. Massage increases circulation to skin and tissues and it enhances feelings of well being and relaxation in most individuals who enjoy this form of touch. In these days of high stress, massage may be the perfect way to relax and gain perspective on life. One study has shown that adults aged 60 years and older who received massage therapy 50 minutes twice weekly for 4 weeks experienced significant improvements in mood (decreased anxiety) and self-rated measures of positive well-being, self-control, vitality, and general health.

Source: allthingsaging.blogspot.com

Massage Helps ...

The manufacturing marketing research division of TR Cutler, Inc. sponsored [a] national survey of more than one hundred U.S. manufacturers; all show that massage improved bottom line of employers. The study found that after twelve weeks, 269 employees who had once-weekly, 45-minute massages in the manufacturing workplace had dramatically better productivity, reduced absenteeism, included far fewer doctor visits, than a control group of 250 employees who did not receive the massage therapy. The massaged group experienced reduced stress and improved performance, while the control group did not.

Source: www.theopenpress.com

Massage Reduces Depression in Pregnant Women

New research shows massage therapy reduced depression in pregnant women, and also reduced the incidence of massaged women's babies being born prematurely.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Touch Research Institutes, where pioneering research about massage has been conducted since 1992.

Pregnant women diagnosed with major depression were given 12 weeks of massage, twice per week, by their significant other. A control group did not receive massage, according to an abstract published on www.pubmed.gov.

The massage-therapy group versus the control group not only had reduced depression by the end of the massage-therapy period, they also had reduced depression and cortisol levels during the postpartum period.

The massaged women's newborns were also less likely to be born prematurely and low birthweight, pubmed noted, and they had lower cortisol levels and performed better on the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment habituation, orientation and motor scales.

Source: massagemag.com

An optimist is the human personification of spring.
— Susan J. Bissonette

The future, according to some scientists, will be
exactly like the past, only far more expensive.
— John Sladek

The content of this letter is not intended to replace professional medical advice.
If you’re ill, please consult a physician.
© 2010 Massage Marketing.   Used with permission; all rights reserved.