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About 24 million Americans have migraines.  Sufferers of migraine headaches may occur at any age but commonly begin between ages 10 through 40; in addition, women are more susceptible than men.

A medical journal titled the Annals of Behavioral Medicine published a 2006 study that reported massage therapy recipients exhibited fewer migraines and improved sleep quality than the control group.  Another medical periodical titled International Journal of Neuroscience published a 1998 study that found massage therapy reduced the occurrence of headaches, sleep disturbances and distress symptoms in adults with migraines.

Research illustrates massage therapy may facilitate greater comfort and promote greater functional everyday living.  Improve your quality of life through massage and bodywork.

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5.  Your boss calls in sick and in the background you       
     hear, “Would you like that on the rocks or  
     blended?”

4.  You receive a call from your mother-in-law who
     says, “I’m coming over to stay for a month to
     enjoy some quality time with you.”

3.  Your service dog went on strike.



2.  Your corner office was exchanged for a cubicle in
     the basement.

1.  The holidays are at your house this year.

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Fortune Cookie 06/07/2010
 
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After clearing my plate of a new Chinese shrimp dish, I reached for my fortune cookie. (I never eat fortune cookies—I don’t like their stale texture—but my dog loves them.) My fortune read, “You will touch the hearts of many.”  This message gently nudged me in an unexpected way, and I reflected on today’s new patient and the power of touch.

My new patient, whom I’ll call Adam, has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma disease. His thin frail body sits rigidly, curled forward in a motorized wheelchair; his weak respiratory muscles are aided by a machine. 

Shortly into the gentle massage treatment, I could feel his resistance lift. He gave into my hands and his muscles began to melt under my fingers.  A deep breath followed, and I paused as his respiration subtly shifted into deeper fuller breaths.  The duration of the treatment was shorter than most, but his response was significant. He sat taller in his wheelchair and moved a bit more easily. I even detected renewed life in his eyes.

Before I departed, I thanked him for allowing me to work on him. Adam looked at me, paused, and said, “Come back again.”

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Crystal Cove State Park, CA
Summer is here! Time to get your hiking pack out of the closet, dust it off, and get reconnected to nature. But before you hit the trails—and especially if you are new to the activity or only hike occasionally—be aware of the stress that hiking places on your knees.  

Knee pain often starts when a person’s quadriceps muscles—those large muscles on the front of the thigh—aren’t strong enough to handle an increase in activity.  Weak quadriceps can lead to damage under the kneecap, a meniscus injury, or stress and strain to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).  At the same time, the back of the thigh—the hamstring muscles—may also be tight from too much sitting at the office and not enough stretching.

You can stay active with hiking and still keep injury and muscle tightness at bay with therapeutic massage and bodywork.  Massage and bodywork will lengthen tight muscles, thus allowing increased range of muscle motion and extended flexibility.  When the flexibility of the body is restored, injury is minimized and hikers experience better performance and can simply enjoy their day hike that much more.

Make sure to get massage and bodywork both before and after a strenuous hike. It’s not just good for injury prevention—it’s necessary for a healthy body, mind and spirit.

My favorite hiking area is Crystal Cove State Park off the Pacific Coast Highway in Southern California. What’s yours?     

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