YOUR HEALING KNEADSJanuary 2015

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What Massage Can Do For YouBeyond Pain Relief, Massage is Valuable for Preventive CareKarrie Osborn

Massage helps you maintain a healthy body.

And now wewelcome thenew year. Fullof things thathave neverbeen.-RainerMariaRilk

Office Hours and Contact

Knead For Healing Therapeutic MassageBarbara Khan, LMT602-326-0422 Sunday-Thursday by appointmentwww.kneadforhealing.massagetherapy.com

In this Issue

What Massage Can Do For YouThe Wonders of WaterSecrets of Sleep

This article first appeared in the Summer 2013 issueofBody Sense.

Whether it is an aching back, recoveryfrom an injury, a case of carpal tunnelsyndrome, or a host of other debilitatingphysiological conditions, there's nodoubt massage and bodywork works torelieve pain. But once your therapist hashelped you tackle your pain, do you quitcalling? When the pain is gone, are yougone, too?

Massage therapy is highly effective forpain relief, but it is an amazingpreventive therapy as well. Massage helpsbuild and maintain a healthy body (andmind), it combats stress, and it works to

keep the immune system strong. Inshort, massage can keep on working foryou, even after the pain is gone.

MASSAGE FOR WELLNESSIf it's been a while since you bookedyour last massage--because your pain isno longer an issue or your injury is fullyrehabbed--you might want to considermassage for preventive care.

Massage can play an important role in agood health-care regimen. Just as youeat healthily, exercise regularly, and takeyour vitamins to ward off illness andmaintain a fit body, you should considermaking frequent massage a part of yourwellness lifestyle.

According to Benny Vaughn, a sportsmassage expert in Fort Worth, Texas,one of the benefits of consistent andregular massage therapy is betterflexibility. "This happens becauseregular and structured touch stimulusenhances the nervous system's sensoryand spatial processing capacity," he says."That is, the person becomes moreaware of her body's movement in spaceand becomes more aware of tightness or

pain long before it reaches a criticalpoint of mechanical dysfunction."

As a preventive measure, frequentmassage puts you more in tune with yourbody. "The consistency of massagetherapy over time creates a cumulativestress-reduction effect," Vaughn says.

Regular massage helps reduce stress and improve your quality of life.

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"The person becomes acutely aware ofstress within her body long before it cancreate stress-driven damage."

And the more massage you receive, themore benefits you reap. "Massagetherapists know that people who getmassage regularly demonstrate greaterimprovement and notice a reduction inpain and muscular tension, as well as animprovement in posture," says AnneWilliams, author ofMassage Mastery: From Student to Professional(Lippincott Williams Wilkins, 2012).

"People regularly make a commitmentto fitness," Williams says. "Peopleregularly make a commitment tochanging their diet. The differencethey'd experience if they regularly madea commitment to massage ismind-blowing."

STRESS IS A KILLERStress is more than just a word we throwaround to describe the nature of ourhectic day. Today, we understand thatstress kills.

According to the Benson-HenryInstitute for Mind Body Medicine,60-90 percent of all US medical visitsare for stress-related disorders. Chronicpain, headaches, heart disease,hypertension, and ulcers can all bewrought from stress. Many would arguethat the best benefit of massage is itsability to reduce the stress in our lives.

From the perspective of daily living,think about the stress you felt at today'smeeting--now it's hiding in your neck.Tomorrow that can turn into stiffnessand eventually begin to affect other partsof your body. If you see your massagetherapist for your regular session thisweek, the chances are good you won'treach the tipping point. Think ofmassage and bodywork as a way torebalance your body.

Noted researcher Tiffany Field and hercolleagues from the Touch ResearchInstitute at the University of MiamiSchool of Medicine report that massagecauses positive biological changes whenit comes to stress. Through the course ofmore than 20 studies, these scientistsfound that massage decreases cortisol (astress-derived hormone that negativelyaffects immune function and kills ourimmune cells) and increases dopamine

and serotonin (the neurotransmittersmost associated with emotionalwell-being).

Add to this the research that showsmassage can lower your heart rate anddecrease your blood pressure, and youhave a mighty effective,nonpharmacological, stress-fightingtool that's about as natural as natural canget.

A ONE-HOUR VACATION AND SOMUCH MOREYou may no longer need to rehab thatknee or work the scar tissue from yoursurgery, but don't forget abouteverything else massage can do for you.Massage is the entire package, helping toheal body, mind, and spirit. Think of itas a one-hour vacation with amazingreturn on investment.

Whether it be maintaining joint

flexibility, managing blood pressure, orenhancing immunity, massage works.From repair to relief and from recoveryto relaxation, massage is a magnificentpiece of natural medicine you shouldalways have as part of your health-careroutine.

Karrie Osborn is senior editor for Body Sense.Contact her at karrie@abmp.com.

Water helps keep the body at optimum health.

The Wonders of WaterFor Skin Health and MoreShelley Burns, N.D.

Secrets of SleepJed Heneberry

Creams, nutritional supplements,treatments, lotions, and potions. We arealways looking for the next miracleproduct to keep skin looking healthy andyoung. However, there is one essential,inexpensive, and often overlookednutrient right at your fingertips: water.

Just as a car cannot function without oil,our bodies cannot function withoutwater. After oxygen, H2O is the mostimportant component of the body,responsible for 65-70 percent of itscomposition. And of this, 80 percent isdedicated to the skin.

Water is the medium for variousenzymatic and chemical reactions in thebody. It moves nutrients, hormones,antibodies, and oxygen through theblood and lymphatic systems, and it alsohelps form the matrix of the skin.Devoid of water, the skin becomesdehydrated, resulting in a dry, dulltone.

It's likely that the moment a person feels

thirsty, mild dehydration has already setin. To keep the complexion lookingsmooth and blemish-free, drink waterupon waking and continue drinking itthroughout the day at one- to two-hourintervals. At least six 8-oz. glasses ofwater should be consumed daily andmore if you are exercising, perspiring,and/or in hot weather. Ideally, intakeshould be between ten and twelve 8-oz.glasses of water a day. One note: Don'tincrease water intake all at once, as thekidneys and digestive system need timeto adjust. Add one 8-oz. glass every dayor every second day.

What counts toward your daily waterintake? Just the basics: water and herbaltea. Caffeinated beverages and alcoholicdrinks are diuretics that can contributeto dehydration, requiring even morehydration after drinking.

Not only is water important for skinhealth, it can also play a key role in theprevention of disease. Drinking eightglasses of water a day can decrease the

risk of colon cancer, bladder cancer,and potentially even breast cancer.

We've all heard it before: get your eighthours of sleep and watch your lifeimprove. But the reason we've all heardit is because it's true, and research keepsshowing the importance of sleep and itsvariety of health benefits.

The National Sleep Foundation saysthere is no "magic number" of hours foroptimum sleep benefits, but thatdifferent age groups, and even differentindividuals, need different amounts ofsleep. General recommendations are7-8 hours per night for adults, whilechildren often need 10-11 hours.Getting less than what you need has beenlinked to an increased risk of diabetes,heart problems, psychiatric conditions,and more.

Here's a quick look at some new findingsthat reveal the secrets of sleep, and also

how to get more of it.

- Sleep Suppresses Appetite: Just onenight of sleep loss can increase brainactivity in the region that containsappetite sensation in response to foodimages, increasing the long-termpossibility of becoming overweight."Lack of Sleep Makes Your BrainHungry," The Journal of ClinicalEndocrinology Metabolism.

- Naps for Your Noggin: The right sideof the brain, which is generallyassociated with creativity, is active duringso-called power naps, while the leftbrain remains mostly quiet. While it isnot clear what exactly is happeningduring these brief rest periods,researchers suspect the brain isconducting important memory tasks."'Power Naps' May Boost Right-Brain

Activity," Health.com.

- Cherry on Top: Drinking tart cherryjuice increased melatonin in studyparticipants, improving sleep efficiency,quality, and time. "Effect of Tart CherryJuice on Melatonin Levels andEnhanced Sleep Quality," EuropeanJournal of Nutrition.

I'd rather regretthe things I'vedone than regretthe things Ihaven't done.-Lucille Ball

KNEAD FOR HEALING THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE2740 N 21st Drive Phoenix, AZ 85009Encanto Park Area

Directions: 19th Avenue & Thomas, West on Thomas to 21stDrive, South to 2740 (2nd house on right).

Hours on Sunday-ThursdayBy appointment-call 602-326-0422 Email: barb.khan@cox.net Website: www.kneadforhealing.massagetherapy.com

BARBARA KHAN, LMT Licensed in the State of Arizona

60 Minute Session $60 90 Minute Session $85

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