Massage is thought to be the oldest form of medical therapy practiced on the human body. The different types of massage and the various techniques that encompass them stem from our most celebrated civilizations and their traditional beliefs ancient Greek and Rome, ancient India and China.

Dating as far back as 2,700 B.C., ancient Eastern Chinese cultures practiced massage to heal a variety of ailments from labor pain to paralysis. Ancient Egyptian tombs have been discovered adorned with images of figures being massaged. In addition, according to traditional Indian medicine, a system known as Ayurveda, therapeutic massage was performed using a variety of aromatherapy oils and spices for their healing properties. Even Greek and Roman heroes - such as the great Julius Caesar - underwent daily massages to treat nerve pain.

In Western culture the most practiced form of massage is undoubtedly Swedish massage. First introduced in the 19th century, Swedish masseuses were thought to have borrowed many of their techniques from traditional China, Egypt, Greece, and Rome masseuses. A variety of the most effective massage techniques have also been incorporated into other complementary therapies - aromatherapy, Reiki, reflexology, Rolfing, Amma therapy and osteopathy.

Many of our now popular modern massage techniques were created in order to heal specific health conditions. For example, soldiers who fought in World War I were administered massage for nerve damage and to soothe shell shock in western hospitals during the 1930s.

Massage is still used today for treating a wide range of ages from babies to seniors - in a variety of intensive care, health club, and health clinic and hospital settings. To this day, massage is still used to treat various conditions such as premature birth, various types of cancer, AIDS, osteoarthritis, lumbar back pain, nerve damage, fibromyalgia, paralysis, heart attack, and stroke.

Roberto Bocchetti is a certified masseur, personal trainer and fitness consultant in Playa del Ingles, on the beautiful island of Gran Canaria (Spain).

He works with tourists and residents and he also provides online consultation for those living far from Gran Canaria, who are serious into developing a training program to improve their body shape and health.

Contact:

Tel. (+34) 636 903 009 - E-mail: musclerob@gmail.com

Swedish massage is one of the most popular modern holistic massage techniques. It uses tapping motions to stimulate the body’s circulation system leading to a variety of positive effects on overall health. Swedish massage also leaves the body feeling relaxed and the mind rejuvenated making it a great way to reduce tension and stress.

The main purpose of Swedish massage is to increase oxygen flow in the blood and release toxins from the muscles. Swedish massage shortens recovery time from muscular strain by flushing the tissues of lactic acid, uric acid, and other metabolic wastes. It increases circulation without increasing heart load. Swedish massage stretches the ligaments and tendons keeping them supple and pliable.

Swedish massage also stimulates the skin and nervous system and soothes the nerves themselves at the same time. It reduces stress, both emotional and physical, and is suggested in a regular program for stress management. It also has many other specific medical uses. Regular massage sessions are the best way to receive the healing powers of Swedish massage.

Roberto Bocchetti is a certified Masseur and Personal Trainer in Playa del Ingles, on the beautiful island of Gran Canaria (Spain). Whether you are a resident or a holiday-maker, you can enjoy a good massage in the comfort of his own studio.

Call (+34) 636 903 009 to make a reservation.

Acupuncture can lower blood pressure by as much as 40 percent, according to a study recently released by the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, Irvine. Findings indicate that acupuncture can help normalize blood pressure—lower pressure when it is elevated or raise pressure when it is too low—and complements treatments for cardiovascular patients.

Though drug therapy and healthy lifestyle changes related to diet, exercise and weight loss are typically utilized to treat high blood pressure, some patients are looking for alternative solutions. “In our real world of clinical practice, we’re encountering patients who find it difficult to make these changes or who continue to have high pressure despite making real changes. They’re looking for something else, and acupuncture is a potential solution that’s relatively painless,” said Dr. John Longhurst, director of the Susan Samueli Center and study leader.

The Samueli Center’s research also found that acupuncture has a slow onset and prolonged effect. If treatments were stopped, the pressure would stay down for another month or so, and then rise over a period of weeks. “We believe these new findings on acupuncture and hypertension will help educate both Western and alternative medical practitioners while encouraging dialog on developing integrative treatment solutions,” said Longhurst.

Elevated blood pressure is due to either increased vascular constriction, or to the heart pumping excess volume into the blood vessels. Diuretics and other antihypertensives typically help with the latter; acupuncture appears to help with the former. Other recent studies from the Susan Samueli Center indicate that acupuncture relaxes vessels mainly through the central nervous system.

Acupuncture is an effective complementary modality for essential hypertension for both prevention and treatment. Anti-hypertensive effects of acupuncture are best for treatment of mild or first stage hypertension. Acupuncture is especially suitable for hypertensive individuals with existing liver or kidney complications that have low tolerance for anti-hypertensive medication.

For more information about acupuncture for normalizing blood pressure call Dr. Richard Browne, Acupuncture Physician and Homeopath at (305) 595-9500. For Oriental Medicine and Massage Therapy program information ask for Joe Calareso.

The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) received official approval from the Department of Veterans Affairs declaring that U.S. veterans can receive reimbursement for the costs of the NCCAOM certification examinations. The examinations that qualify for reimbursement are the Acupuncture and Point Location Module, the Foundations of Oriental Medicine Module, the Biomedicine Module and the Chinese Herbology Module.

Candidates must meet eligibility requirements in order to be approved to take the NCCAOM exam(s). Education must be obtained from an education program that is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) or a program that has reached candidacy status with ACAOM.

“NCCAOM submitted an application to the Department of Veteran Affairs for veteran reimbursement for the NCCAOM examination costs in order that veterans who have courageously and selflessly served our country will be able to benefit from beginning a new career as an acupuncturist by becoming NCCAOM certified”, said Kory Ward-Cook, Ph.D., CAE, NCCAOM Chief Executive Officer. “NCCAOM is proud of the men and women who have sacrificed so much in service to our country and this is one way that we can give back to them.”

NCCAOM certification is a requirement for licensure in most states. A voluntary certification organization, the NCCAOM does not award licenses to practice acupuncture or other forms of Oriental medicine. In the United States, licensure laws vary among the states and the District of Columbia.

Veterans who qualify for examination reimbursement must submit their official NCCAOM examination results and receipt for the cost of the examinations to the appropriate processing center of the Department of Veteran Affairs for reimbursement.
For more information visit the Department of Veterans Affairs web site at www.gibill.va.gov and the NCCAOM web site at www.nccaom.org.

For information about Acupuncture & Massage College’s Oriental Medicine and Massage Therapy programs call Joe Calareso at (305) 595-9500.

It’s the morning of your big presentation and you have an ugly cold sore on your upper lip. Why do cold sores always seem to appear when you have something important to do? Is it just bad luck?

What is a Cold Sore ?

No. What causes the cold sore is a virus called herpes simplex type 1 or type 2. Almost everyone in the whole world carries this virus. Stress is the main trigger for causing the virus to become active and appear as cold sores to break out.

How? When your body’s stress level is high, your body’s ph level is low, below 7, and your immune system is compromised. This provides the perfect acidic state for that virus in your body to become active. And it’s all due to the fact you are stressed over this oh-so-important event.

Acupuncture for Cold Sores

Case studies in scientific journals reveal that acupuncture releases the body’s restorative hormones (known as endorphins) that stop the anxiety that lowers your ph.

In addition, acupuncture studies also show that acupuncture can assist the immune system by stimulating the production of white blood cells. Alpha, Beta and Gamma Globulins also increase after acupuncture therapy, which fight infection and produce immune antibodies. So that is another way acupuncture can reduce the length of time of a herpes outbreak and decrease your chances of recurring cold sores.

Acupuncture, which is more than 3000 years old and originated in China, has been refined by practitioners from all over the world, by combining old texts with new scientific studies and integrating it with some western concepts.

People use acupuncture to treat a wide variety of conditions ranging from pain management to infertility. Regardless of what your condition is, acupuncture treatment restores homeostasis in the body.

Help for Cold Sores

For more information on acupuncture treatments for cold sores & stress, please call professional acupuncture physician Dr. Richard Browne at 305.595.9500 for a FREE consultation.

Latest figures from the BBA (British Bankers’ Association) show mortgage approvals falling to 35,417 last month from 43,147 in February. That’s the lowest figure since September 1997 and represents an annual fall of 46.2%. Overall mortgage approvals, including refinancing and equity withdrawal, fell to their lowest since 2000.

David Dooks of the BBA said the consequences of low banking sector liquidity have shown up clearly in the March data - reduced product ranges and tighter criteria resulting in slower mortgage lending and significantly fewer loan approvals.

“Pressures on personal finances are also constraining demand, not only for mortgages, but also for personal loans and borrowing on cards’” he added.

Elsewhere, annual growth in credit card borrowing increased slightly to 6.5%. Repayments continued to outstrip new spending, as they did throughout 2007, so growth largely reflects interest charging.

Annual growth in loans and overdrafts fell slightly to 5.2%, although overdrafts increased slightly in March after falling the previous month.

Meanwhile, minutes from the latest meeting of the Bank of England’s interest rate setting committee show expectations of unanimous agreement for the latest cut in interest rates proving to be wide of the mark.

In fact, the committee was split three ways - six members voting in favour of the 0.25% cut to 5%, but members, Andrew Sentence and Tim Besley opting to keep rates on hold. The final member, David Blanchflower, was in favour of a half point cut to 4.75%

After a busy day we just want to lie back and relax! Did you know that the same creepy feeling in the legs can also creep up your arms and hands?

For the projected millions of people struggling with restless legs and arms, bodywork is one of the favored approaches to lessen this disruptive, irritating and painful, sleep-depriving condition.

Identified by creeping, tickling (like ants crawling up your legs), burning, tingling or aching, a person living with this syndrome feels the need to move their legs, arms, and even to squeeze their fingers to relieve these sensations. Considered a central nervous system disorder, RLS often interferes with resting or falling asleep. Partial or complete cessation of the feeling when we move the affected limb, yet the symptoms often return as we rest again. It is easy to see why many RLS sufferers fall into an unhealthful cycle of sleeplessness.

RLS Treatment
The medical community regards restless legs syndrome as a condition that can be managed, but not necessarily cured. In general, the therapeutic approach is for improvement of the primary condition and lessening the severity of the RLS. For those with extreme pain and total sleep deprivation, medications are prescribed.

If medications are not used, or perhaps you seek a non-medicated course of treatment, most healthcare providers will advise one or more of the following approaches:

·Massage– Swedish massage to the legs has been reported to ease RLS. Effleurage towards the hips, with light compression of the muscles. Ladies, a good time to do this is when applying lotions! Make the application purposeful, and the benefits increase.
· Hydrotherapy – Taking a warm bath often demonstrates favorable results. Jacuzzies are a saver for the legs, and excellent for self applied Accupressure! Allow the jet streams to massage the legs at a level comfortable to you. Always working, or “pushing” from the feet to the hip, when a tender point is located, especially in the gluteal region, stay the stream until a feeling of itching or tickling begins to subside or becomes uncomfortable.
· Moderate Exercise – While moderate exercise early in the day benefits leg circulation and therefore leg pain, strenuous exercise could potentially aggravate RLS. The boyancy of Aqua classes allow a low impact workout in which you control how deep to go into the exercise.
· Avoid Alcohol, Caffeine and Nicotine – Refraining from these substances, especially in the evening, can help reduce RLS severity. Alcohol takes away control of the limbs, while caffeine and Nicotine aggrevate the nervous system, causing an increase in restlessness and limb jerking.
· Compression – Wrapping the legs in ace bandages, or wearing compression stockings or support hose can reduce RLS sensations. For severe sufferers, wearing these while sleeping with knees supported under a bolster can help.

Aside from these, we at Massage Solutions recommend for everyone as an easy everyday maintenance to relieve many of these symptoms, is lie down with the legs supported on pillows at a 45 degree angle for at least 15 minutes every night. This will reduce the sensations of RLS dramatically, and allow you to fall into a deeper sleep.

Today’s guest on Massage Success Rado is Dari Haffie of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy.

I “met” her when I recently interviewed her for an upcoming AMTA-WA convention, where we will both be speakers.

What primarily intrigued me about her work is that I saw it as an excellent way to achieve longevity in a profession that traditionally puts quite a bit of stress on the hands and wrists.

Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy has been quoted as “The most luxurious deep tissue massage on the planet”. And what makes this type of deep tissue massage different from most - is that you do it with your feet.

Dari is one of only 10 trainers of this style of bodywork.

In today’s interview we discussed:

• What makes this technique different from other barefoot techniques.

 

• The types of therapists this work might be best suited for.

 

 

• Why you use your feet? What’s wrong with hands?
• What exercises would help you prepare to be a practitioner of this technique.
• The role of overhead bars in Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy.
• Ways to diversify your practice and market your massage business.

So if you are interested in learning about a technique that may extend the life of your career (by using your hands less) as well as making you stand out from the other massage therapists in your area.

We have all been there at some time, and many suffer endlessly with digestive problems.  After watching part of an infomercial about a product to increase the rate of elimination with all natural ingredients, I was appalled.  The commercial content was true to the last word, and I am sure the product discussed is successful in attaining the goal.  It was the fact that NO ONE has to spend a DIME on any product when Swedish Massage is available for free, anytime, anywhere (almost) ! That would defeat the business purpose of selling the product!  Forbid anyone do that!

So here is your FREE remedy for constipation!

Symptoms include abdominal pains or aches, bloating, lightheadedness, heaviness, lackluster energy levels, recurring acne, sour moods, loss of healthy skin pallor (yellowing/graying/greening of skin in face, hands, feet), dark circles around the eyes (especially in children) bad taste/breath even after brushing, and of course large and hard dark stool resulting in straining, pushing, and sometimes bleeding of the sphincter after passing.  A large meal should be passed within 8 hours for optimum health.

What to do? Take it slow…Rub some slightly thick lotion around your hands and Abs (only a little) to achieve a slight glide. Check your fingernails to prevent scratching yourself! Lie down on your bed with a light T-shirt or nothing covering the abdomen.  If you have any diagrams of the digestive tract, bring them out for visual reference.

Before massaging, look around first, start at the lower right side of the abdomen. Slowly push your fingers  in as far as you can comfortably go.  Working up and around the outer edges, feel around a bit for hard or painful areas.  One tender area will be around both sides of the aortic branch where it splits into the two main arteries down the legs. You know you are on it by the strong pulse. Take a moment to “grasp” this artery, placing your fingers gently on either side(for those with a bit of cushion around the middle, this may be difficult to find) to accustom yourself to feeling your organs. 

After finding your tender areas, and places where a “hard object” lies (yes, that hard object is stool) return to the lower right and use the following techniques to soften and separate. Take note: the body has built in defense mechanisms!  You may experience a “slap” of your fingers that will actually shove your hand out of your own abdomen! The muscles are reacting defensively (especially around a tender spot)to outside invasions and when this happens, immediately return to the area slower and purposeful, thinking to yourself that this is OK to do. The mind reassures the body you are helping.

Always being gentle and working from right to left….push into/downward using circular motions, it will be possible to actually grasp and move the intestine if necessary. If you experience some pain, breathe slow and deep, expanding the walls as far as you can go, continuing to hold on while you do. Work your way around, pushing, circling, rolling the intestines around (kind of like rolling playdough).  The more movement you get from the organs the better.  In the areas of stuck stool, find the approximate middle of the piece, and work into the center to break it up, then push pull and roll. Take breaks often by rubbing the abdomen right to left, using the palms of your hands only, especially after breaking up a large piece rub the area in circular motions.  Continue to push, prod, and break up what you can find throughout the entire abdominal area.

Some things you may feel during this process?  Pressure towards the sphincter(as stool is pushing towards it), passing of gas, shooting pains, spasms, bubbling sensations, nausea (if pushing too hard), and lightheaded.  At times it may feel as if the area “collapses” under you fingers, a good sign. 

With elimination, you should notice an increase in energy levels, brighter eyes hair and skin, a feeling of being “lighter” after movements.  To help prevent further episodes, continue your self massage,  and if desired, flax seed oil tablets 5 minutes before a heavy meal will keep things moving along. A warning about flax tabs…the scent of stool gets strong! Still healthy!

Keep up self massage for your health and wellness! Massage Therapy is a wonderful tool anyone can employ to maintain their bodies at no cost!

Namaste! From Massage Solutions