When the weather outside is frightful, is your skin less than delightful? Unfortunately, dry winter skin is a common problem for most people, due to lower moisture levels outside and the drying effect of heating systems inside. If dryness, flaking, itching, cracking, and redness increase for your skin during the winter months, you’re not alone.
Originally published in Body Sense magazine, Autumn/Winter Copyright 2008. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.
For a child wobbling atop a two-wheel bicycle for the first time, getting it to remain upright is a scary challenge. But once that child has mastered the art of balancing on the bike, the body just remembers what to do.
Finding and evaluating healthcare information can be tricky, particularly if you’re searching the Internet. Rumors, misunderstandings, biased opinions, and outright lies await.
Most massage aficionados remember the trepidation that came with their first massage. What should I expect? Will I have to take off my clothes? How much do I tip?
For relative newcomers to massage, the prospect of those first visits and their unknowns can be unnerving. Here are some basic bodywork etiquette guidelines to help you get the most out of your session, create a healthy client-therapist relationship, and address some of those unknowns.
Massage. The word evokes visions of serenity and relaxation. But for dancers who work long days, massage is also a basic requirement for maintaining physical and mental health.
The short answer is, yes, of course—you need a massage. Who doesn’t? You deal with deadlines, long lines, short tempers, and your dog’s distemper. We’re all at the receiving end of things we would rather not deal with. Massage can be the valve that eases the pressure.
Massage therapy is useful for many conditions, in addition to relaxation and stress relief. See your doctor for a diagnosis first, and then consult your massage therapist.
If you’re like the vast majority of American adults, you may be taking one or more medications on a regular basis to help manage your health. And, if you’re like a lot of American adults, you would also like to incorporate massage therapy into your healthcare strategies.
Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy (PRYT) was developed out of a vision of empowering people to make fundamental changes in their lives by learning to listen to their inner voices—voices that sometimes get drowned out in the din of modern life or ignored as we rush through our days. As we ignore this internal dialogue, it may become louder, manifesting as increased stress, chronic pain, depression, or anxiety.
When people with chronic diseases cross the threshold of a massage therapist’s office, they bring with them hopes of relief. Some health issues, like fibromyalgia (FM), cause clients pain. Others, like Parkinson’s disease (PD) and multiple sclerosis (MS), match pain with life-altering disabilities.
The results are amazing: a long, lean body, the release of cramps, the stance and strength of a true athlete. Even with these benefits, stretching remains a much neglected activity.
Ann and Chris Frederick, directors of the Stretch to Win Center and the Stretch to Win Institute in Tempe, Arizona, have suggestions to make a few minutes of stretching an effective, efficient, and enjoyable part of your day.
So, what stretches are right for you?
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