healingways
sessions also provide her with a wealth of evidence that combining touch and talk therapy is far more effective than talk therapy alone.
RESTORATIVE RUBDOWNS
The Blissful Benefits of Massage by Linda Sechrist
Other than a silent retreat or a loving and comforting embrace of a friend, child or another family member, few actions are as multi-beneficial to body, mind and spirit as massage.
O
nce considered primarily a pampering experience for the wealthy, massage and its coun- terpart, bodywork, is today acknowl- edged by the larger medical community for its therapeutic value. The U.S. Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health provides the largest source of pub- lished up-to-date research on the subject, including substantiation for claims citing the many positive effects of massage. Among the reported improvements
is an individual’s ability to relax and sleep better following therapeutic mas- sage treatment. Recipients also tend to enjoy a better immune system response, fostering the relief of fatigue, pain, anxiety and nausea. On this basis, some large U.S. cancer centers, such as the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center, in Houston, now integrate mas- sage therapy into conventional settings. Judy Stahl, past president of the American Massage Therapy Associa- tion, is a strong, longtime advocate for acceptance of the therapeutic benefits, including some that haven’t yet made it into the annals of conventional medicine. She became a professional massage therapist in 1987, and today continues the research she initiated for her master’s thesis in counseling and psychology: Touch Therapy in En- hancing Psychological Outcomes. It’s become her life’s work.
“I regularly see practical evidence that supports research on the powerful and critical role that touch plays in the state of a person’s mind-body health,” Stahl says. Her years of patient/client
Beyond the Massage Table What a difference 60 minutes on a massage table can make. The first rule of massage—to feel, rather than think—transforms the therapeutic stroking, rubbing, wringing, tapping, kneading and squeezing of muscles into deeply satisfying human contact. Concentrating on the practitioner’s touch, while listening to relaxing music playing in the background and breathing in soothing aromatherapy scents, helps turn the mind off and focus attention on the moment. Such a restful state of mindfulness is key to successful meditation.
A Natural Sleep Aid It makes sense that a good night’s sleep is essential to health. A study published in the American Journal of Critical Care showed that patients receiving a six-minute massage slept better than those in the control group, which participated in a teaching session on relaxation followed by a bedtime au- diotape comprising muscle-relaxation supported by imagery and music.
Easing Pain and Anxiety While massage isn’t meant as a replace- ment for regular medical care, it is being increasingly used in the allopathic community to help manage chronic pain. The results of a study by the Royal College of Nursing Research Institute, at the University of Warwick, in the UK, demonstrated that massage provides ef- fective short-term relief for moderate to severe chronic pain. Patients receiving massage therapy reported significantly less pain immediately as well as one hour after treatment. They also experi- enced a significantly reduced level of anxiety.
Six years ago, when integrative family physician Fredric Morgan dis- covered that massage helped to allevi- ate the back pain he had suffered from for 11 years, he began recommending it to his patients. “The first time I went to a massage therapist, the pain went
natural awakenings May 2011 31
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