away for a week,” says the co-owner of Pleasanton Family Wellness Center, in Pleasanton, which combines allopathic, complementary and alternative medicine.


Stroking Blood Pressure


in the Right Direction Not only does massage help to lower blood pressure, it also helps ease stress levels. One study published in Heart and Lung: the Journal of Acute and Critical Care noted that patients that had massage after heart surgery showed a lower level of postoperative blood pressure. Another study of patients that underwent twice weekly, 30-minute mas- sage sessions demonstrated decreases in blood pressure and cortisol (a stress hormone), as well as depression, anxiety and hostility.


More is Better Who wouldn’t want to have a massage twice a week? The ongoing research of Dr. Maria Hernandez-Reif, of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami, and Tiffany Field, Ph.D., the institute’s director, demonstrates that while an individual can benefit from even small doses of massage (15 minutes of chair massage or a half-hour table session), longer bodywork, performed two to three times a week, com- pounds the positive effects.


Linda Sechrist is a senior writer and editor for Natural Awakenings. For more information about Pleasanton Family Wellness Center, please call 925-600-0503. See ad on page 25.


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