Soothing NEWSApril 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.

What weachieveinwardly willchange outerreality.-Plutarch

Office Hours and Contact

Soothing Sessions BodyworkKimberly Rogers920-659-3805Thursdays: 11am-6pm by appt.Fridays: 9am-6pm by appt.Saturdays: 9am-2pm by appt.

In this Issue

What Massage Can Do For YouCultivating a Gardening HabitThe Sunshine Vitamin

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.

Gardening burns calories and improves diet.

Cultivating a Gardening HabitDiscover the Health Benefits of Yard Work

The Sunshine VitaminShelley Burns

Feeling the need to exercise, clean upyour diet, meditate? Want to be morecreative, get out and meet people, enjoythe outdoors, and slow down? There'sone activity in which you can accomplishall of these objectives: gardening.

Encouraging ExerciseStudies show that vigorous digging burns500 calories an hour, weeding burns210 calories, and mowing the lawnburns 400 calories. As a moderateexercise, gardening has been found todecrease the risk of heart disease anddiabetes, and a study at the University ofArkansas found that gardening wasalmost as effective as weight lifting inreducing the risk for osteoporosis inwomen. So instead of taking that indooraerobics class this summer, try mowingthe lawn or planting an herb garden.

As with any exercise regimen, the key isto start at a comfortable pace andgradually work your way up to longer,more difficult activities. Your heart rateshould be about the same as when you

take a brisk walk.

Improving Your DietGardening will also likely help you eatbetter. Research shows that people whogrow gardens eat more vegetables andfruits than those who don't. Growingfresh herbs, even in a container on thedeck or balcony, is another great way toadd flavor and freshness tohome-cooked meals and an incentive totry new recipes.

Boosting Your Social LifeGardening can also be quite social.Whether at a garden club, a communitygarden, or an online forum, people loveto share ideas, solve common problems,and connect through mutual interests.

Easing StressAnd finally, gardening is a great way tomanage stress. Spending time outsideand tuning in to the rhythms of nature,we're reminded to be patient, slowdown, and breathe the fresh air.Whether growing flowers, vegetables, or

herbs, a garden reminds us of ourconnection to life and the abundancethat nature so freely gives.

In the world of skin health, we focus onways to improve skin quality. We work toprevent acne, cellular damage, dryness,and wrinkles. It is less common todiscuss how a skin-care strategy mayincrease risk of developing other healthconditions.

Skin cancer is one example. To preventskin cancer, we protect ourselves withsunscreen--especially during thesummer months. But by using sunscreenwe are blocking the absorption ofvitamin D, the "sunshine" vitamin.

Vitamin D is fat soluble and containspowerful antioxidant andanticarcinogenic properties that canprevent premature aging and cellulardamage. Solid research indicates thatvitamin D plays a role in reducing therisk of cancer, specifically breast, colon,

and prostate cancers. Vitamin D hasbeen associated with preventing diabetesby reducing insulin sensitivity. It alsoimproves heart health, reduces the riskof multiple sclerosis, strengthens bones,and decreases the effects of seasonalaffective disorder.

Vitamin D can help resolve skinconditions like psoriasis, as it plays arole in skin cell regulation, includingcell turnover and growth. Vitamin D canbe effective in reducing the itching andflaking associated with this disorder.Ultraviolet B (UVB) treatments havelong been used successfully in treatingpsoriasis because UVB produces vitaminD in the body.

Getting between 5-10 minutes of directsun exposure daily on the arms, face,hands, and back (without sunscreen) can

provide enough vitamin D to meet yourdaily requirements, though sunexposure does present a risk. Because itis difficult to obtain enough vitamin Dthrough food, many prefer to usesupplements. Research on the healthbenefits of ingesting vitamin D ledexperts to advise an intake of 25-50micrograms daily.

Shelley Burns is a doctor of naturopathic medicineand campleted studies at the Canadian College ofNaturopathic Medicine. She has certification incomplementary and integrative medicine fromHarvard University.

The best andmost beautifulthings in theworld cannot beseen or eventouched - theymust be felt withthe heart.-Helen Keller

SEEING CLIENTS AT THESE LOCATIONS:

* Splash Fitness CenterRamada Grand Seasons Hotel, Waupaca

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* SSB Home Studio - Weyauwega

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