Massage Therapy

By Cathy Wong, ND Alternative Medicine Expert 1) Am I supposed to tip? If you get a massage at a spa or hotel, a 15% to 20% tip is standard if you were pleased with the services. On the other hand, there are no real ground rules or norms when it comes to massage in a medical setting. Some massage therapists and massage associations I asked said tipping isn't appropriate in a medical or clinical setting. Others said that it is always appreciated. If you're not sure, don't be afraid to ask if tipping is customary. You can call ahead to ask if you don't want to do it face to face. If tipping isn't the norm, you can always [...]

Posted by Simeon Niel Asher on Feb 09, 2016 With a frozen shoulder, it is very important to keep the shoulder moving as much as possible. What you do with your shoulder on a daily basis is important both for managing pain and increasing the rate of recovery. There are simple things you can think about as you go about your daily life to make the ordeal of your frozen shoulder more bearable. The instinct we have when something is hurting is not to use the painful area. Whereas this may be appropriate for other problems, such as a fracture or ligament sprain, it is not so for a “Frozen Shoulder”. Classically the frozen shoulder patient we see comes in holding [...]

March 27, 2015 by Allissa Haines We know massage will make us move better and feel happier, but not everyone can make time for regular appointments. Luckily, massage is great preventive care and it can have some instantly-gratifying results. Check out these 3 things massage can help you with right now. Headaches   Tension headaches (often called stress headaches) are the most common type of headaches among adults. Pain or pressure in your forehead or on the top or sides of your head? Could be a tension headache. It’s especially likely if you’ve been hunching over a desk or some knitting, spent a ton of time in a car, or if you’re still shivering and huddling to keep warm as [...]

By Phyllis Hanlon February 15, 2016 Exercise and sports are an integral part of everyday life for many people. The 2015 Physical Activity Council Report noted that 209 million active Americans participate in a variety of fitness activities, from running and playing basketball to biking and hiking. Engaging in sports and physical activity sometimes comes with a price. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, in 2012 nearly two million individuals experienced some sort of sports-related injury that required medical attention in the emergency room. Whether your clients prefer individual or team sports, gym activities or outdoor adventures, chances are you will encounter clients who are under a physician’s care for injuries, or dealing with less-serious conditions [...]

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 16 Feb 2016 By Leah Sorli Regardless of whether you book in for regular weekly massages or you’ve yet to treat yourself, there are numerous benefits to using massage therapy. From relieving stress and reducing muscle fatigue to increasing blood flow, this form of manual therapy is perfect for people of all ages, and with all manner of ailments. But how do you know what type of massage is right for you? Should you try a shiatsu massage if a remedial massage will do? Would a reflexology session be better for your body than a Traditional Chinese Massage? And what about myotherapy – does this massage technique trump them all? I get asked a lot about this last, lesser-known form [...]

What is a Hot Stone Massage? Hot stone massage is a variation of classic massage therapy. Heated smooth, flat stones are placed on key points on the body. The massage therapist may also hold the stones and use them to massage certain body areas. The use of hot stones for healing dates back to ancient times, but it wasn't until Arizona massage therapist Mary Nelson introduced her hot stone massage technique, LaStone Therapy, that hot stones for massage caught on. Massage Hot Stone Alternative Medicine Holistic Therapy Massage Therapy Benefits Nelson conducts workshops to train other massage therapists in LaStone. While LaStone continues to be popular, massage therapists and spas have also developed their versions of the hot stone [...]

Posted by Simeon Niel Asher on Jan 27, 2016 In 70% of all doctor and therapist visits for shoulder problems, the diagnosis is rotator cuff disorder The shoulder is involved in almost all of our waking activities. It is extremely flexible, and along with its several sub-joints (all of which combine to give the widest range of motion in any joint in the body) this is also what makes it vulnerable to injury. The innate joint concavity/convexity stability is weak so an intricate system of capsule, ligaments, connective tissues and muscles is employed to fix the large ball into the small socket. The four cuff muscles concurrently bring the gleno-humeral joint back and down to stabilize the shoulder, allowing us [...]

An estimated 10 million Americans suffer from a known hypothyroid condition, and 10 percent of adult American women may have some degree of such conditions, according to endocrineweb.com. January is National Thyroid Awareness Month, sponsored by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, a time when massage therapists can learn how clients with thyroid disorders might benefit from massage therapy. Signs of a Challenged Thyroid The term hypothyroidism encompasses any condition witnessing the thyroid gland’s inability to produce adequate levels of hormones known as T3 and T4. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune inflammatory condition that destroys the thyroid gland, is the leading cause of hypothyroidism. The other major cause indicates a broad medical treatment term that includes surgical procedures to remove [...]

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on low-back pain, the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to missed work. Massage Therapy & Low-Back Pain In a study published in the February 2014 edition of Scientific World Journal, researchers investigated whether chronic low-back pain therapy with massage therapy alone was as effective as combining it with non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs. The study was conducted on 59 individuals divided into two groups, all of whom suffered from low-back pain and were diagnosed with degenerative changes of the spine, other intervertebral disc diseases or spine pain. In both patient groups, the pain measured was significantly reduced and the [...]