The Massage Geek^® Blog

Living with chronic pain is exhausting.  It gradually wears on a person until there is simply no energy left to do something about it.  We know that getting a massage or taking a vacation or even getting in for a regular check up with the doctor would be really good for us.  But do we schedule that appointment?  No.  Life is just too busy, especially if we are busy caring for children, parents, or managing a big project.  We put ourselves last on the list of caretaking duties.   We get tired, irritable, just downright unhappy.   But what if you knew that your happiness, or lack thereof, affected everyone around you?  Well, it does.  In fact, not only does it affect those around you, but also those around them, and those around them. Happiness seems to spread like a contagion and researchers repeatedly find clusters of happy and unhappy people:

Clusters of happy and unhappy people are visible in the network, and the relationship between people’s happiness extends up to three degrees of separation (for example, to the friends of one’s friends’ friends). People who are surrounded by many happy people and those who are central in the network are more likely to become happy in the future.   Fowler and Christakis, 2008

So, when you are putting yourself last on that list of people to make happy, you are actually perpetuating their unhappiness.

…clusters of happiness result from the spread of happiness and not just a tendency for people to associate with similar individuals. A friend who lives within a mile (about 1.6 km) and who becomes happy increases the probability that a person is happy by 25% (95% confidence interval 1% to 57%). Similar effects are seen in coresident spouses (8%, 0.2% to 16%), siblings who live within a mile (14%, 1% to 28%), and next door neighbours (34%, 7% to 70%). Effects are not seen between coworkers.  Fowler and Christakis, 2008

“Effects are not seen between coworkers.”  I would love to hear your thoughts about that!

Conclusions People’s happiness depends on the happiness of others with whom they are connected. This provides further justification for seeing happiness, like health, as a collective phenomenon.  Fowler and Christakis, 2008

So pick up the phone right now and make that appointment.   Take some days off.  Start treating yourself better and dozens of people will benefit from your good work.   Earlier this week I received the best testimonial yet.  My client said “I was singing yesterday.  I haven’t caught myself singing in – well, I don’t know how long!”   That made me happy.  Oh! See?  It works!

A client asked me lately how to get rid of those little bumps that are common on the back of the arms and thighs.   I recommend dry skin brushing just before a shower.  It exfoliates dead cells and brings blood to the skin.  A quick Google search for “dry skin brushing” uncovers a lot a sites that talk about the miraculous effects of skin brushing.  Evidently it cures everything from eczema to cancer.  <sarcasm> Amazing! Will it whiten my teeth, too? </sarcasm> Eh, unlikely.

Look for a brush with natural bristles, like this one from Yerba Prima.  The bristles are firm, yet soft enough to be comfortable.

It’s that time of year!

We are officially in the “flu season.” There are three versions going around. 1) the regular flu with aches and congestion, 2) a version that includes just a fever and a dry cough, and 3) the H1N1 virus. I hear the H1N1 virus is particularly miserable to have.

Don’t be casual about the risk this year. Even if you don’t mind being sick, you could be the carrier that infects someone else who is at greater risk of complications. Do your part to be a dead end for the chain of contagions.

Usually the flu is just an inconvenient annoyance. But this year it is especially important to be diligent. At the least, being sick could mean lost income from missed work. Not good in this economy. At the worst, it could put someone at risk of death. You don’t need to panic, but please don’t be cavalier.

Here are my top ten suggestions to help therapists and their clients to stay healthy, including a surprise at #1:

10. Should you come in for an appointment is you are feeling sick? If you answer “Yes” to ANY of the following questions, you should stay home:
Do you have a fever of 100 degrees or more?
Do you “expel” more than once every 20 minutes? (“Expelling” means coughing, sneezing, wheezing, dripping, sniffling, etc. )
Do you have to breathe with your mouth open because of congestion?

9. That being said, you don’t need to be afraid of people with the flu. If you are around someone who is sick, the best thing you can do for them, and for yourself, is to be friendly. A smile can go a long way to boost the immune system. A fist-bump is safer than a handshake. In fact, a HUG is safer than a handshake.

8. Wash your hands. Frequently! This the THE most important thing you can do to stay well. You don’t need to use antibacterial soap. Any soap will do. Lather for 20 to 25 seconds, scrub under the nails, then rinse. But the water and soap is only half the story. The other half is DRYING your hands thoroughly. A quick wipe is not good enough. A good towel is essential, especially if you don’t have soap handy. Moisturize after washing to keep the skin soft. I prefer Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream. Until you have washed you hands, do not touch your eyes, mouth, nose, or ears.

7. Keep bottles of alcohol hand sanitizer handy (like Purell). I have a bottle in my massage room and in the waiting room. My favorite brand is EO. But don’t use too much. You don’t want your hands to get dried out from the alcohol. It should only be used as a back up. Rub it all over your hand up to the wrists, between each finger, under the nails. Rub until dry.

6. Keep the vulnerable areas clean: Ears, nose, eyes, and mouth.

Where is the most vulnerable site for the virus to enter your body? It is the eyes. DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYES. Your eyes do not have the same natural defenses that other membranes do. If your eye has an itch, use a tissue or your shirt to gently scratch the itchy spot.

What should you do after possibility of exposure?

Rinse the eyes with saline or “fake tears.” Do not use the anti-redness kind of eyewash. The hydrating kind is more expensive, and worth it.

Gargle. Use a solution of one part Listerine Antiseptic and one part hydrogen peroxide. DO NOT SWALLOW HYDROGEN PEROXIDE. Alcolol rinses should only be used on a short-term basis, not every day. Another good mouth rinse is a drop or two of grapefruit seed extract diluted in two tablespoons of water. This is also a good hand sanitizer.

Rinse your nose with a neti pot. If you really don’t like that option, just get your finger wet and swish it in your nostrils, then blow.

Wipe ears with a wet washcloth. Or, when you use a hand sanitizer on your hands, use your finger to swish a bit in each ear.

5. At the end of each day, perhaps after each visitor to your home or office, wipe hard surfaces that may have been touched. This includes door knobs, door frames, counters, desktops, wood arms on armchairs, light switches, etc.

4. Sleep. Rest. Change bed sheets regularly. Change the pillow case frequently.

3. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, use the inside of your elbow.

2. Avoid sharing objects like pens, cups, utensils, etc. If you must, clean or wipe the item before use it. Are you self-employed? This is the perfect time of year to have pens with your logo and phone number on them. After a client uses the pen, they can take it with them! Keep tissues handy to grab objects like door knobs, or use your shirt sleeve.

…and the number hint for keeping well? As I mentioned above, hand washing is THE most important thing you can do to avoid spreading germs. And mostly we do a good job of this. But there is one precaution that is completely overlooked by most people:

1. Keep moist with a humidifier. Yes, drinking water is important. But we gain and lose most of our moisture through respiration. I prefer to use a “hot steam” humidifier over one that uses a fan to evaporate the water. You want to keep the membranes moist. Any dry spots can crack and provide an entry site for viruses. If your kleenex is a little bloody after blowing your nose, you are at greater risk of infection. Moisture will also help the body to maintain its natural defense: watery phlegm. Sticky phlegm, not so good. No phlegm, worse. Watery phlegm, best. Indoor humidity should be around 40 to 50 percent. It is important to keep the humidifier clean, free from mold and bacteria.

Whew! That is a long list. The extra care is worth it.

Disclaimer: This is an original work written on 10/15/09 by Lynn K. Patricia. I am not a doctor, nor a nurse. I am a massage therapist. These suggestions are not informed by scientific expertise. They are the result of my personal experience. Don’t take my word for it. Use your experience to confirm or deny the ideas for yourself. Feel free to share this list with others. Please include my name as the source.

… and here are some extra hints just for my friends. I have had great success with a product called “Esberitox.” It is an herbal remedy that I get at The Wedge. It has Echinacea, etc. to boost the immune system. I start taking it at the first sniffle or tickle. It helps a lot! Check with your doctor before using. I am not a doctor. Also, I have found Kombucha beverages to be very effective in loosening phlegm and lessening congestion. You can find them in the beverage case at a natural foods stores. They come in many delicious flavors.

Thanks for listening.

Jessica wrote:

“Hi, I have been practicing massage therapy for 3 years. I love it. However, I am torn about what CE’s to take. I have an opportunity to learn Lypossage. What do you think?”

Hi, Jessica.

Thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to write.

I also have struggled over which CE’s to invest my hard-earned money in, not to mention time. Ultimately I believe that my money is best spent on things that excite me. In other words, if I half-heartedly participate in something, I won’t succeed at it.

I had never heard of Lypossage before, so I browsed the internet to learn about it. I have to say that I am not very impressed. It seems like more of a gimmick than a true therapy. It is not something that I would be interested in. But you should decide for yourself whether it is something that you can do with passion and enthusiasm. In the right hands, Lypossage might be therapeutic. I personally am drawn to techniques that help me focus on specific muscles, like stretching or structural integration.

There are days at work when I literally fall to my knees and say a prayer of “thanks” to whatever forces guided me into this profession. I have requested to have this same job in my next life. Even if I have to have the exact same struggles and problems that I had in this life. If they are required to get me to this spot, then bring it on! It was all worth it.

One colleague of mine is very passionate about pregnancy massage, another is very excited by doing energy work with clients, and so on. What excites you? What would make you spontaneously fall to your knees because you are grateful to be so privileged?

Lynn Patricia
The Massage Geek

Here is a video about the history of chair massage. It is surprisingly fascinating!

Thanks to Mark at www.chairmassagecanada.com.

Mark also alerted me to this little tidbit:

FEASABILITY STUDY
The effect of chair massage on stress perception of hospital bedside nurses

Conclusion?
Incorporating chair massage into a nurse’s hospital shift is feasible and a 10 min session reduces the stress perception of the nurse more so than the standard “coffee break”.

Read more about the study here.
See Mark’s blog here.

I am now officially certified as a Resistance Stretching Trainer, the first in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  Yea!

I’ve been practicing on clients and I attended a weekend training in Chicago with Anne Tierney and Steve Sierra.  They are both excellent instructors and they had several assistants with them as well.  So each student had a lot of one-on-one feedback.  I felt great after a weekend of working out with them.

I have been able to apply the method with great success.  It is very easy to incorporate it into a massage session.  I still would like to have one more practice client….

By touching a body, we touch every event it has experienced. For a few brief moments we hold all of a client’s stories in our hands. We witness someone’s experience of their own flesh, through some of the most powerful means possible: the contact of our hands, the acceptance of the body without judgment, and the occasional listening ear. With these gestures we reach across the isolation of the human experience and hold another person’s legend. In massage therapy, we show up and ask, in so many ways, what it is like to be another human being. In doing so, we build a bridge that may heal us both.

Tracy Walton,
“The Health History of a Human Being,”
Massage Theray Journal, Winter 1999

A few weeks ago I posted a blog on the definition of massage and outlined what I thought to be the three overall categories of therapeutic massage based on desired outcome.  Well, after seeing Dara Torres with her trainers I had to create a new category.

So here is the new list:

Four Types of Therapeutic Massage

1. Relaxation Includes Swedish, Full-body, Fluff-n-buff, etc.
2. Corrective Includes Deep Tissue, Clinical, Medical, Orthopedic, etc.
3. Conditioning Includes Sports Massage, Resistance Stretching, etc.
4. Energetic Includes Shiatsu, Reiki, etc.

The new category is “conditioning.”  A Conditioning Massage is one that seeks to improve the texture, flexibility, and strength of healthy soft tissue with the overall goal of enhancing performance and endurance.

Wow!

The Olympics are so much fun to watch. I’m especially interested in the career of Dara Torres as she and I are the same age. The difference is that she has an exquisitely sculpted body. While I don’t. NBC aired a feature of Dara Torres receiving a massage and stretching routine from two trainers. It was waayyy different from a relaxation massage and different from the corrective massage that I do. Perhaps I will have to add a fourth category to my list of massage types.

Would the new category be Sports Massage? I just taught a class on Sports Massage and it didn’t include anything like what I saw being demonstrated. The trainers were literally mashing Dara’s muscles with their feet before some stretching. I did some research and discovered it actually is called “mashing” (!) and “resistance stretching.”

Currently, the type of corrective massage that I do is best suited for athletes who have chronic issues with old injuries. I do my share of mashing and it’s good stuff.  I sent an email to the trainer who developed the protocol, Bob Cooley, asking about training and certification in this method. I can’t wait to hear from him!

Here are some links and articles about this type of massage/stretching:

• Olympic Swimmer Credits Trainers With State Ties
• Dara’s current trainers
• Bob Cooley and his story
• The Today Show video
• Training Secrets of Dara Torres A great article with very practical tips for even the most modest athlete.
• Dara Reveals Her Secret Weapon This link was recommended by a reader of my blog.

I did a quick search on YouTube.com for Bob Cooley and also for Dara Torres.  Both searches resulted in a few good videos.

Are you an athlete undergoing intensive training in the Minneapolis area?  Would you be willing to let me practice this technique on you?  Send me an email!

Speaking of massage therapy for cancer patients, this article appeared today:

Massage therapist works with cancer patients