10 Tips to Enrich Your Life - Easy Options to Enhance Well-Being

10 Tips to Enrich Your Life

Easy Options to Enhance Well-Being

By Jacqueline Sidman

Originally published in Massage Bodywork magazine, February/March 2005.
Copyright 2005. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.

We all feel stress from time to time, and many of our lifestyle habits don't support us in our journey along a healthier path. Here are 10 lifestyle changes that will help you become more relaxed and increase your overall feeling of well-being.

1. Have a power breakfast. Eat oatmeal or other hot cereals or wheat toast with apple butter or low-sugar jam. Replace your coffee with herbal tea. Some people skip breakfast, saying they are not hungry or they don't have time. Eat anyway. Bodies are like engines -- they need fuel. This "new" breakfast will keep you alert and relaxed all morning.

2. Avoid fruit lunches. Fruit quickly raises and then drops your blood sugar. Eat some protein and vegetables instead, like last night's leftover grilled chicken and mixed vegetables, or try a salad with tuna.

3. Take three deep breaths before you eat to increase your body's supply of oxygen, relax, and help you digest your food. You'll eat slower and give your body a chance to know it is full. This will benefit your waistline and your stress level.

4. Cut back on coffee, tea, and cola drinks. The caffeine in these beverages makes you jittery and causes dehydration by taking more liquid from your system than they put in. Try herbal teas instead, and drink plenty of water to cleanse and hydrate your system.

5. Watch for the mid-afternoon "slump" -- a result of low blood sugar from eating a lunch too high in sugar. To feel really refreshed, pass up the candy bar and cola and balance fruit with healthy protein and vegetables and a cup of herbal tea.

6. Prioritize your tasks. The One-Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard suggests you separate your tasks into three categories. Things on the "A" list are "must-do." Things left for the "B" list are important, but can wait, and items left for the "C" list can probably be eliminated altogether. Applaud yourself when you are able to cross items off.

7. Designate the end of work time and the beginning of personal time by performing a ritual, such as locking your desk drawer and turning off your office light. If we don't separate the dimensions of our lives, we become resentful and stressed because we feel like we never leave work.

8. Do something relaxing every day. We all need some "me time." Listen to your favorite music on the commute home from work, engage in your favorite hobby at least a half hour a day, take an evening walk, or just soak in the tub.

9. Exercise daily so it becomes a healthy habit. Even walking for 20 to 30 minutes per day creates a calm mind and a healthy body. Choose a form of exercise you enjoy -- dancing, tennis, aerobics, or bike riding. Remember, exercise gives your mind a vacation.

10. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Getting enough rest is essential. Most people need between six to eight hours of sleep to counteract stress and rejuvenate the mind and body.

Jacqueline Sidman, Ph.D., is a life coach and author of Instant Inner Peace. She has more than 15 years of experience helping others overcome life challenges. For more information, call 949/251-9550 or visit www.sidmansolution.com.

Original posted at: http://www.massagetherapy.com/articles/index.php/article_id/832/10-Tips-to-Enrich-Your-Life

Massage in the Classroom

Massage in the Classroom

Bullying, aggression diminish with student-to-student interaction

By Rebecca Jones

 

http://www.leakeatinglmt.com/Pediatric-Massage.html

 

Originally published in Body Sense magazine, Autumn 2011. Copyright 2011. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.

In the quiet of a school-day afternoon, Johnny gives his classmate a "bear walk," with a "cat grip" thrown in for good measure. It's not a game, it's massage, and it's working to prevent bullying and decrease aggression in school-age children.


Soothing Salve
Science has shown us that touch is an important part of every child's development. Its importance, however, doesn't stop at infancy, but continues throughout life in creating happy, healthy, stress-free individuals.

Programs to teach this important lesson to children have been successfully implemented in the classroom for nearly 20 years. An example of a protocol that works is the Massage in Schools Program (MISP), which teaches elementary school students simple massage strokes they can use with each other in the classroom.

Massage in a school environment has been shown to improve childrens' concentration levels and their ability to stay on task with their schoolwork, but there are even more intriguing implications. Schools where MISP has been implemented have anecdotally reported decreased bullying and aggression, and an increase in children's self-esteem and empathy toward others.


At the Teachers' Request
MISP was created more than 10 years ago by Sylvie Hetu, an educator and massage instructor in Montreal, Quebec, and Mia Elmsater, an educator and massage instructor in Sweden. Today, the program is in hundreds of schools in 20 countries, and is especially popular in the United Kingdom.

The massage program grew out of the infant massage training that Hetu and Elmsater received. "I was a school teacher before I became an infant massage instructor, so I was known in the school system," Hetu says. "Teachers would ask me for ideas for touch and movement exercises, and I would show them some things on a one-to-one basis, but there was no formal program. Mia did the same in Sweden. People would just ask us and we would show them," she says.

That changed in 1999 when the director of a massage school in London invited Hetu and Elmsater to give a presentation on what they were informally showing their colleagues. "There were 350 people at that conference," Hetu says. "The day after, the telephone wouldn't stop ringing."

Hetu and Elmsater decided British schools would benefit by having access to such a program, so they created one. "We took weeks, months, years to refine it, to make it perfect so it would fit in everywhere, in all cultures," Hetu says.

The program began in England, but has since spread to Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and Australia, as well as other parts of Europe and Asia.


From Bear Walk to Cat Grip
Under the tutelage of trainers, MISP teaches children how to take turns massaging each other while seated at their desks or sitting on the floor. The strokes are mainly on the arms, shoulders, and head, and don't involve oils or the removal of clothing. Hetu says children are taught always to ask permission before touching each other, and they're assured they always have the right to decline the touch if they choose.

"Some kids do say no," Hetu says. "Some days you're just not in the mood for massage. That's just human. And if they don't feel like massage, they're invited to stay in the room and watch. We know, even just by watching a massage, there are relaxing, hormonal effects. But it's rare that children refuse, because they really like it."

Typically, teachers will lead their students through massage routines at the start of the day or after lunch. Once a child masters the basic routine, it takes about seven minutes to complete, Hetu says. Many teachers set aside 15 minutes so each child can both give and receive a massage.

The basic routine consists of simple movements that evoke images that engage the child's imagination. For instance, there's the "cat grip," which involves making gentle movements with the fingers on one side of the neck and the thumb on the other side. There's the "bear walk," which begins at the base of the spine. The child presses one hand after another, "walking" up the spine and down again. There's also the "baker," which involves gentle, kneading movements with palms and fingers on the shoulders. A favorite with the children is the "heart," where they move their hands in ever-larger heart-shaped formations over their partner's back. Despite the cute names, what's going on is good, old-fashioned massage.

"When you get the children working together like this, they start interacting in a new way," says Jenn Johnson, a British Columbia massage therapist who has completed her MISP training and hopes to get the program introduced into more schools in her area. She says massage creates change in the classroom. "It seems to break up cliques."

Hetu says teachers have told her that children who have massaged each other are much more reluctant to bully each other. "Also, with massage, there's no grading, no competition about who's first or last," she says. "The routine is for everyone. They discover that some children, who may not be that intellectually gifted, are really good with massage. They gain new status among one another."


Healthy Touch
While the Massage in Schools Program has found success in Canada and abroad, it's been more slowly implemented in the United States. The American massage therapists who have been through the program's training are hoping that as more parents, teachers, and school officials learn about the benefits of massage for children, the school program will catch hold here as well.

"The issue here is that we, as a nation, are touch-phobic," says Colorado massage therapist Laura Charlton, who learned about MISP during her training as an infant massage specialist. She is one of the first Americans certified to teach it. The problem, says this mother of two, is that in the United States, "touch in schools is forbidden."

Charlton almost got the program into her children's school in suburban Denver, but at the last minute, the principal backed out, citing other parents' concerns. Charlton hopes that with some more parent education, she'll succeed in launching the program.

"People want to see it in action here," Charlton says. "They know it's working in Europe and Canada, but they want to see it working in the States, too."

Hetu thinks it's a shame that people are afraid of touch. "Touch is quite taboo in several cultures and sometimes people think that if we bring touch into schools it will teach children to have early sex and all sorts of things. But long-term, we know it's just the opposite, because children need touch," Hetu says. "It's part of who they are. We give them a healthy tool for touch."

Rebecca Jones is a Denver-based freelance writer. Contact her at killarneyrose@comcast.net.

Free the Body of Sadness

Putting the Pieces Back Together After a Life-Changing Event

By Lyn Prashant

Job loss, death, divorce, break-ups, financial strain, and the many challenges life presents are painful and tramautic. Sadness is stored within our bodies, sometime long after we think we've moved on. Addressing the issues in the tissues can in fact help individuals move more quickly through the grieving process to help reclaim stability and, ultimately, happiness. And massage can play a key role.

I define grief as a mental and emotional experience, usually triggered by a traumatic loss, that has physiological correlates associated with deep pain.

For instance, we are all familiar with the term "heartache." It is commonly accepted that if a person experiences a traumatic emotional event (such as the loss of a lover or the death of a family member), this mental and emotional state often results in a definite physical sensation. We can feel the grief in a specific part of our body. Our insides actually hurt. Because our culture does not deal with the grieving individual effectively, I believe such grief can create long-lasting physical imbalances in the human body.

Degriefing is the process of recognizing mental and physical pain which accompanies grief and treating it with a combination of somatic therapies. Unlocking and removing grief from an individual's body can heal not only physical symptoms, but mental and emotional wounds, as well.

While conventional therapies may be effective, they usually do not begin to address the physical imbalances induced by a traumatic loss or great sorrow. The individual's mental state might be temporarily lifted, but the physical state often remains unchanged. Therefore, complete healing can be illusive.

Grief can be stored in the body, although sometimes we grieve and it passes through us in a relatively short period of time. For instance, when we expect the death of an elderly individual, the sadness is more easily tolerated, and our body and mind accept the loss relatively easily. That can be called "simple, uncomplicated grief."

However, in today's society, we experience many types of loss and sorrow that are not dealt with effectively. From childhood through adulthood, we experience many traumatic events which leave permanent, physical scars or imbalances. That's called complicated, unresolved grief, which I believe can reside in the muscles, fascia and tissues of the body. I have found through emotional release during massage that clients have gotten in touch with memories long dismissed, repressed or forgotten.

Recently, even modern Western science has discovered that seemingly non-physical constructs such as memory, intuition and emotion have physical correlates. They don't know how these things are recorded, but they are starting to acknowledge that the body can retain mental experiences. When grief is recorded in our bodies and retained, the individual suffers. That's why Degriefing is an effective, exponential technique that is based on combining compassionate touch and communication.


Integration With Bodywork
Many individuals I have treated respond well to professional bodywork, which often opens energy channels and chakras. A variety of therapeutic massage techniques, such as Swedish, Shiatsu, lymphatic massage, polarity and reiki can effectively be combined. There are many modalities that combine extremely well for this work and create a truly exponential effect.

Massage, primarily intended to induce relaxation, is also powerful for stress reduction and is tremendously beneficial for the maintenance of well-being. The goal of the Degriefing process is to actually unlock blockages, which have developed in our bodies, and shift the systems to a more harmonious state. It may be helpful to explain to your massage practitioner your emotional state so that she/he can address the session with a clear intention of healing and integrating.

Other valuable therapies for releasing grief include acupuncture, dance therapy, deep massage, compassionate touch therapy and vibration therapy. I often use tuning forks and Tibetan bowls in my work. I've used auditory treatments and even long distance healing. These treatments are equally effective, as they can help restore the body's natural balance.

From the perspective of self-preservation, it is necessary that the body hold on to emotion. But to move forward requires getting on the other side of self-preservation. For people carrying pain and sadness, massage and bodywork can help you get there.


Lyn Prashant, founder of the Degriefingâ„¢ Process, completed JFK University's Graduate Psychology Grief Certification Program and has a private therapeutic bodywork, yoga and grief counseling practice in Marin County, Calif. She teaches the Somatic Aspects of Grief class at U.C. Berkeley Extension, co-coordinates the U.C.Berkeley symposium "Changing Paradigms of Loss and Grief," and teaches "Degriefing for Bodyworkers" at Alive and Well Institute of Conscious Bodywork. Her forthcoming book is titled The New Art of Degriefing: Transforming Grief Using Body/Mind Therapies for Health-care professionals, counselors, clergy, caregivers and bodyworkers. For information call 415/457-2272, view www.degriefing.com, or e-mail lyn@degriefing.com.



Portions of this article were excerpted from Massage & Bodywork magazine, April/May 2000.
Copyright since 2000. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.

Massage, Science, and Your Health, A Conversation with Dr. Andrew Weil

Massage, Science, and Your Health

A Conversation with Dr. Andrew Weil

By Loolwa Khazzoom

Originally published in Body Sense magazine, Autumn/Winter 2010.Copyright 2010. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.

Noted physician Andrew Weil, MD, author of Why Our Health Matters: A Vision of Medicine that Can Transform Our Future (Hudson Street Press, 2009) and a longtime proponent of integrative medicine, had a chance to sit down with Body Sense magazine to discuss the science behind massage and other effective complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments.

Loolwa Khazzoom: What do you see as the benefits of massage?

Andrew Weil: Whether a massage therapist focuses on your feet, hands, scalp, or entire body, massage can be both wonderfully relaxing and clinically effective. It is also one of the CAM therapies most readily accepted by conventional medical doctors and hospital administrators.

Research demonstrates that massage therapy can offer a variety of healthful benefits, especially for people with significant stress or anxiety, strained muscles, or osteoarthritis. Massage therapy can enhance immune function, increase circulation while reducing heart rate and blood pressure, boost levels of endorphins and serotonin (the body's natural painkillers and mood regulators), and reduce stress hormone levels, all while easing sore and achy muscles.

If you have problems with tension headaches, back or neck pain, sports injuries, arthritis, or fibromyalgia, experiment with massage as an enjoyable way to help reduce or even eliminate associated pain. Mothers-to-be can reduce stress levels and pain associated with labor, preemies may gain weight faster, and children with asthma may breathe easier when massaged. Studies also suggest that massage therapy can help prevent or manage some side effects and complications commonly experienced by people with cancer, both during and after treatment.

Anyone with open wounds should wait until they are healed to receive bodywork, and deep-tissue work should be considered cautiously by people on blood thinning medication (warfarin, for example) and anyone recovering from surgery. Other than that, work with a licensed massage therapist to ensure you get the most out of your session. Many forms of massage therapy are available. It pays to ask massage therapists what types of therapy they have studied and whether their skill sets are a good match for your needs.

LK: What are some common ailments you have seen treated effectively through other CAM methods?

AW: First of all, in treating autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, I have seen great success using an anti-inflammatory diet. I also recommend the use of herbal medication (especially things like ginger and turmeric), mind-body methods (everything from guided imagery to stress reduction), lifestyle counseling, different forms of exercise, and sometimes the use of Chinese medicine.

For depression, I think there are a huge range of approaches that are very effective, from aerobic exercise to high-dose fish oil, and various dietary supplements. I find the anxiety-reducing breathing exercise that I teach to be more effective than the standard pharmaceutical drugs.

LK: How is it that all these methods are effective? People generally expect to have to do something high-tech to respond to something that's gone awry in their bodies.

AW: I think this is the key question of what's wrong with American health care. It has us all dependent on high-tech solutions that are expensive. I think these low-tech methods work because the body has an innate healing capacity, and there are many ways of accessing it. I think that people, in this culture especially, have little confidence in their body's ability to restore health.

Many of these methods have very sensible mechanisms behind them. High-dose fish oil affects brain chemistry; there's a lot of research on that. With breathing exercises for anxiety, there is a logical mechanism--breath affects the involuntary nervous system.

There is very little research on the impact of breath work, because it is something that is just not taken seriously by the research community, probably because it is so simple. I have worked for years to try and get studies going on it. The lack of interest in this kind of stuff is remarkable.

LK: What is the backstory on scientific studies of massage?

AW: Unlike pharmaceuticals, which can be manufactured to small tolerances, dosed by weight, and compared to placebos, bodywork is less consistent and often better tailored to an individual's needs. Massage therapy, nonetheless, has been studied and scientifically proven to be effective for reducing pain, fatigue, anxiety, and stress in patients with a wide range of medical problems, and to relieve a variety of symptoms in people with specific illnesses. In addition, the number of sound research trials into the potential benefits of massage therapy has grown significantly in recent years. Still, funding remains an issue. As is the case with any CAM therapy, funding will never be as accessible for research into massage therapy as it is for drug company studies.

A strong body of research that defines the clinical effectiveness of, and indications for, massage therapy will help promote greater acceptance of the approach and perhaps lead to wider coverage by insurance companies. I would like to see more studies comparing the effects of massage therapy to pharmaceutical agents for the relief of pain and anxiety, as well as cost-benefit analyses of the preventive effects of regular massage. Further investigation into the underlying mechanisms behind the benefits of massage should be encouraged as well.

LK: What do you tell people who insist on having hard scientific data before trying something from the CAM toolbox?

AW: There is a lot of science out there. It is just often published in places that most doctors don't look. I think the first thing is to see what evidence there is. Second, we should get into the habit of using a sliding scale of evidence, which works like this: the greater the potential of a treatment to cause harm, the stricter the standards of evidence it should be held to for efficacy. In the case of something like a breathing technique, the potential for harm is so low that I feel quite comfortable recommending it, in the absence of hard scientific evidence of its efficacy. I know it works, because I use it myself, and I use it widely on patients. It's not going to hurt people.

LK: I keep encountering a disbelief that simple things can actually work.

AW: There is a prejudice. People wonder how it possibly could work, being that it doesn't involve a drug, and it doesn't involve a device. That, to me, is the big problem in this area. I think that the answer is education about the body's remarkable capacity for self-maintenance and healing and about the value of knowing and using these low-tech solutions before going to complex, expensive ones.

If low-tech methods don't work, then sure, you go to stronger methods. Or if you're dealing with an emergency, then you use more drastic methods. But for the vast majority of conditions out there, there are inexpensive, low-tech, simple methods that people ought to know about.

LK: Do you see attitudes toward massage changing in the world of conventional medicine?

AW: The United States lags behind many other countries where massage is considered a trusted effective medical intervention. But surveys show it is one of the most popular forms of alternative medicine in North America and is increasingly incorporated into the services offered by hospitals and medical clinics. As more people, including doctors, experience its benefits and appreciate the healing power of appropriate human touch, I am confident that massage therapy will soon be offered within most cancer centers and readily available to at least expectant mothers and hospitalized children. Of course, additional sound research will help drive the inclusion of massage in the conventional medicine armamentarium.

LK: If there is an absence of hardcore scientific evidence proving that a given CAM treatment works, how can a person who is not that educated in CAM distinguish between what is medically sound and what is not?

AW: This is the whole point of the integrative medicine that I teach. We have now graduated over 500 physicians from intensive training in the program in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. The training enables them to make those distinctions and teach their patients to do the same. Ideally, you find a trained health-care professional, preferably a physician or a nurse practitioner, who has this kind of training, who can advise you. Our website gives a directory of all our graduates.

On a related note, if pharmacists were trained in the use of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other dietary supplements, they would be the best people to advise both patients and doctors about the uses of CAM and its interactions with pharmaceutical drugs. It's really a matter of getting trained people out there.

LK: What are three safe and relatively easy ways people can try out CAM at home?

AW: Learn the basics of good nutrition and how diet affects health. The simplest rule is to try and get rid of refined products and manufactured foods. They may be what is causing all the trouble. It's also a good idea to have a home medicine chest with simple remedies. There are about half a dozen herbal treatments that are very useful--like Valerian for sleep and peppermint for stomach upsets. Lastly, have some kind of relaxation technique to practice. My favorite is simple breathing methods, because they are so time-efficient.

LK: Is there anything you would like to add about getting professional massage treatments?

AW: Keep in mind that massage therapy typically provides short-term relief of symptoms and that the benefits of massage accrue over time. To experience the greatest benefit, try to schedule sessions at regular intervals and treat them as you would any important business appointment: non-cancellable.

Loolwa Khazzoom (www.loolwa.com) is a health and wellness coach, journalist, and media strategist who developed a dance method to heal from chronic and debilitating pain. Her company, Dancing with Pain (www.dancingwithpain.com), offers a full line of natural pain relief products and services.

Sitting Too Long is Bad for Your Health

Whether you have a desk job or otherwise sedentary lifestyle, prolonged periods of sitting may be unavoidable for you. Chances are you are sitting as you read this article.
New research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and other journals shows that sitting for long stretches can be detrimental to your health, contributing to obesity,   cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic kidney disease.
“The best defense -- the only defense -- is to move more,” says Dr. Keith Overland, president of the American Chiropractic Association.

Walk

 The simple act of walking can help you get in shape and feel great. It’s easy, burns calories, reduces the risk of heart disease, tones muscles and increases cardiovascular endurance. Walking as little as 12 minutes a day can have a significant positive effect.
To get the most from your walk, move your arms freely in coordination with the opposite leg, walk “with purpose” to maximize your cardiovascular workout, don’t stoop your head or look down as you walk and don’t carry weights, as they’re better used as a separate part of your exercise regimen.

Alleviate Pain

 Aches and pains prevent many people from even taking that first step toward better health.  Chiropractic physicians -- experts in treating muscles and joints -- offer not only a drug-free approach to alleviating pain through spinal adjustments and manipulation, they also promote overall health and wellness through nutritional counseling, rehabilitation and exercise and lifestyle recommendations. Search for a chiropractor in your area by using “Find a Doc,” the American Chiropractic Association’s online member database, www.acatoday.org/FindaDoc.

Sit Correctly

“When you do sit, make sure to do it correctly so you don’t ruin your posture or strain your muscles, leading to pain that could inhibit you from getting the activity you need,” suggests Dr. Overland.
To prevent problems, keep your feet on the floor or a footrest and don't cross your legs. Your knees should be at or below the level of your hips. Adjust the backrest of your chair to support your low- and mid-back or use a back support, and avoid sitting in the same position for long periods of time.
Include frequent micro-breaks into your sitting time, stretching your neck, arms, wrists, back, and legs. Simple stretches include neck rotations, fist clenches, arm dangles, and shoulder shrugs.
Most of all, don’t sit for too long. Stand up and stretch your legs with a short walk about every 20 to 30 minutes. Avoid working through lunch.

Maintain Good Posture

Poor posture not only consumes more energy but also can lead to excessive strain on your postural muscles and may even cause them to weaken when held in certain positions for long periods of time. The postural muscles are prone to injury and back pain, but maintaining good posture, sitting properly and moving regularly can help you stay pain-free.

Sitting Too Long is Bad for Your Health

David Whyte and Floating

I've been floating a lot lately, at least twice a month, sometimes more. 
Floating is the absence of distraction, direct access to your Self. It is transformational.

This weekend I attended the float conference here in Portland. A poem was read by Michael Taft. He was talking about understanding ourselves better.  

Here's the poem:

Sweet Darkness

When your eyes are tired
the world is tired also.

When your vision has gone
no part of the world can find you.

Time to go into the dark
where the night has eyes
to recognize its own.

There you can be sure
you are not beyond love.

The dark will be your womb
tonight.

The night will give you a horizon
further than you can see.

You must learn one thing:
the world was made to be free in.

Give up all the other worlds
except the one to which you belong.

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn

anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive

is too small for you.

~ David Whyte ~

as posted on http://www.panhala.net/Archive/Sweet_Darkness.html

Body Sense - Autumn 2012

Body Sense - Autumn 2012

Online Magazine Link - What You Might Not Know About the Benefits of Bodywork

Six Ways I Changed My Life and How You Can Change Yours | Dr. Mark Hyman

 A great article: Worth a read. Great strategies to slow down and enjoy life and health.

~ Dana

 

Six Ways I Changed My Life and How You Can Change Yours

I admit it. I was addicted to sugar, caffeine, and adrenalin. I am a recovering dopamine addict, and it almost killed me. Twenty years ago, as a freshly minted doctor, I swallowed the propaganda that doctors are invincible, that “MD” stood for “medical deity.”
During my training, one of my surgical residents told me, “Real doctors don’t do lunch.” I thought I didn’t need to follow the same rules of biology like everyone else. I believed sleeping, eating real food, and resting were luxuries, not necessities.
In fact, even though I knew about healthy lifestyle and nutrition, and had always exercised, I felt I could push the boundaries of my body. When I started my medical career, I worked 80-100 hours a week as a family doctor in small town in Idaho.
I delivered hundreds of babies, ran the emergency room, and saw 30-40 patients a day. Sleep was an afterthought. It was the early 1990’s and I ordered Starbucks coffee by the case straight from Seattle, bought an espresso machine, and served up 4-5 espresso’s a day. I lived in a perpetual state of fatigue and pushed my way through on adrenalin.
I continued those habits when I moved to Massachusetts and worked in an inner city emergency room. At the time I had two young children to care for, and worked endless odd shifts in three different hospitals. Some days I went without sleep. I got through the night shifts by downing a quadruple espresso, a pint of Haagen Daz ice cream (coffee flavor), and a giant chocolate chip cookie.
I learned how to keep myself awake despite my exhaustion. I didn’t have a stop button. I lived on adrenalin—until my adrenalin ran out and I suddenly got very ill with chronic fatigue syndrome. Every system in my body broke down.
I didn’t choose to change my life—my body chose for me. That is when I had to learn to rebuild my life and my energy and respect the way my body worked. I learned the hard lesson that my body was a biological organism that needed care and attention, that it wasn’t there to sustain my abuse and serve my needs. I realized that if I wanted to enjoy my life, I would have to learn the care and feeding instructions needed for being a human.
Unfortunately, many suffer the same fate I did. We have all been given a beautiful creation—our physical body. But none of us were born with an operating manual or instruction book. How do we make it feel good, take care of it, make it run like it was designed—balanced and in perfect rhythm?
Most of us don’t learn how to manage our energy and bodies well. We use drugs—sugar, caffeine, alcohol, adrenalin, or worse to manage our energy and moods. Most of us don’t connect our behaviors and choices with how we feel every day.
We don’t connect what we eat, how much we rest and sleep, how much we exercise, how much time we make for connecting with friends and community, or the kinds of media and news we watch with how we feel every day.
Feeling fully energized and vitally health comes down to a very simple principle: take out the bad stuff and put in the good stuff. Health results from what you get too little of (good food, nutrients, light, air, water, rest, sleep, rhythm, exercise, community, love, meaning, and purpose) or too much of (poor quality food, stress, toxins, allergens or microbes.)
This affects how our bodies, minds, and souls function. For each of us the ideal mix is a little different, and what is needed to thrive is unique to each individual. It takes a little experimentation, observation and fine-tuning to achieve, but there is nothing better than being the best you can in each moment. It is what makes life sweet.
This is what I have spent the last 20 years studying—how can I thrive and help my patients thrive, what prevents us from being well, and what helps us. This approach to health and medicine is called Functional Medicine or “The Medicine of Why”—that is, why our bodies work well or don’t!
It’s actually quite simple.
How to Get More Energy
Simply make a list with two columns. In one column list all the things that give you energy. In the second column list all the things that drain your energy. Each day try to let go of one thing that drains your energy and add one thing that gives you energy.
Here’s my list. Take a piece of paper and make your own now.
My Energy Drains

• Not getting enough sleep (less than 8 hours)
• Eating too much sugar
• Drinking too much coffee (more than 1 cup)
• Skipping meals
• Eating anything made in a factory (junk and processed food)
• Eating bread
• Eating dairy
• Drinking more than 3 glasses of wine or alcohol a week
• Working too much
• Not exercising at least 4 times a week
• Not doing yoga
• Spending too much time on the computer
• Watching TV
• Not being outside in nature
• Not spending time with friends
• Getting dehydrated

My Energy Gains

• Eating a high-protein breakfast (shake or eggs)
• Eating fresh, whole real food
• Having a protein snack in the mid-morning and afternoon
• Eating 10 servings of vegetables a day
• Not eating 3 hours before I go to sleep
• Doing yoga
• Playing tennis
• Running in the woods
• Swimming in lakes or rivers
• Hugging my kids and wife
• Talking to friends
• Dinner parties with friends
• Helping others and volunteering
• Taking my vitamins (multivitamin, fish oil, vitamin D and a few others)
• Drinking 6-8 cups of filtered water a day
• Being creative in the kitchen and cooking for family and friends
• Thinking of my day as a sacred thing—a canvas for living an artful life—and shaping it to have good memories, good blessings, and good feelings
• Learning new things about our extraordinary world and the people in it

As John Lennon said, “Life is what happens when you are making other plans.” We all get kicked off our plan from time to time. Something intrudes, somebody gets sick in your life, you may lose your job, your kids may do something stupid, your spouse may cheat on you, the stock market might crash, or it might even rain! These are the inevitable struggles that are part of being human.
Let me share with you how I manage these struggles (yes, they happen in mine too,) and how I stay motivated.
Overcoming Obstacles on Your Path to Health
Dealing with challenges in life is like surfing. You get on the wave, and all is great … and then the wave drops out from under you, or it grows into a huge wave and pummels you into the ground. When that happens, you paddle back out, get back up on the board, and keep surfing.
Here are some ideas on how to do that:

1. Plan, plan, plan: You wouldn’t take a trip to climb a mountain or take a vacation to France without planning first. It is THE most essential activity you can do to create health. Plan your day, your week, your month and schedule in time for the things in your life that support health—food, fun, sleep, exercise, friends, or whatever else puts deposits in your health bank account.
2. Think of food first: Most of us are opportunistic eaters—when the opportunity comes, or when we get hungry we eat whatever’s in our path. In our culture that means junk food, fast food and vending machine “food like substances.” We live in a vast nutritional wasteland, a food desert. Every week plan where you are going to get all your meals. Think ahead; don’t end up in a food emergency where the only thing open is a fast food restaurant or convenience store. Think breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. It will become a habit. Plan, shop, prepare, and eat. Create an emergency food pack and buy quick-to-cook meals or make whole foods at home.
3. Design fun and play into life: MacDonald’s was good for something—it gave us the ditty—“you deserve a break today.” Think of your day as a canvas and think of how you can paint yourself some fun. Learn new things—try yoga, dance, or a new sport. I like to get my exercise by having fun and playing not by going to the gym.
4. Prioritize sleep: We have a second national debt crisis—sleep debt. And there is no way to trick biology and raise the debt ceiling. Get at least 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Everything in your life will look and feel better and you will make better choices when you do this.
5. Avoid drugs: Almost all of us use drugs every day to manage our energy. These include sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and more. Think about taking a “drug holiday” for six weeks and see how much better you feel.
6. Remember feeling well: When I get off track, I simply remember what it is like to feel great and what I have to do to get there—eat better, sleep more, exercise more, or do nothing more!

Some of these habits might not be second nature. But our lives are about the thousand little choices we make every day. When I am really off track, I do a reboot—a week-long detox that resets my body, brain and rhythms. I use my UltraSimple Diet. It is a simple whole foods, sugar-free, drug-free, and allergy-free nourishing way of eating and living for one week that can create dramatic and rapid changes in your biology. Try it. Then you may remember what it feels like to be well, some of you for the first time.
Now I’d like to hear from you …
What steps have you taken to change your health? What obstacles do you face and how do you overcome them?
Have you tried taking a drug holiday like the one in The UltraSimple Diet? What were the results?
Why do you think we live in a culture where the simple act of being healthy is so difficult? How can we change this unhealthy culture to one that supports optimum energy and vital well being?
Please leave your thoughts by adding a comment below.
To your good health,
Mark Hyman, MD

How to Start a Mastermind Group

I want to inspire the world. I know myself and am proud of who I've become. We can't do this alone. We aren't meant to do it alone. Sometimes we all need prodding or a swift kick in the rear or an understanding look or hug. Inspiration. Evaluation. Reflection. Intention.

I want to create big things. To reach people. To help the world and myself heal. To be and do the best I can while I'm here on this planet. 

I'm a massage therapist and a student of Tibetan Chi Kung and mysticism.

There comes a time in a persons life when relationships are falling into place. I have people in my life a shaman, an acupuncturist, massage therapists, a grad student, a CPA, an account manager at United Way, and a wanna be cartographer. Each of these people know the truth when they hear it. They know how to be honest and vulnerable, to question and to acknowledge. I want to bring these people together to build something great. Each of us doing our own thing, moving forward and supporting each other. 

See what I'm talking about for yourself! Start your own mastermind group http://ow.ly/aUoMm  

The Role of Minerals in the Body | Divine Health

The Role of Minerals in the Body | Divine Health

Minerals are basically the spark plugs of life, or keystones to our health. Minerals are the catalysts that keep our ‘battery’ going and hold it’s ‘charge.’  Minerals compose about 4% of the human body. We cannot produce minerals within our bodies, so we must obtain them through our food. They ultimately come from the earth. Good soil is 45% minerals, yet our soils today are quite lacking due to synthetic fertilizers, mono-cropping and more. In the US our soils contain 86% less minerals than they did 100 years ago (based on a study done in 1992). Minerals are what remain as ash when plant or animal tissues are burned. (approximately 5 pounds from a cremated body.) They come from the earth and will eventually return to the earth.
There are 103 known minerals, at least 18 of these are necessary for good health. Mineral imbalance is epidemic. Osteoporosis is on the rise in our nation, 30 million people in the US over 50 are susceptible to fractures caused by mineral deficiencies in their bones. Over 1/3 of the women in America will have diagnosable osteoporosis in their lifetime. Osteoporosis isn’t even diagnosed until you’ve lost 30% of your bone mass. Nearly 100% of Americans have some type of joint degeneration by the time they are 40 years old.  Zinc deficiency is very common, evidenced by such health issues as; prostate cancer, breast cancer, hormonal imbalances, hydrochloric acid deficiency, skin cancer. Magnesium is a key element to keeping the cells metabolizing, involved in at least 300 functions in the body. It is particularly sensitive to stress, and can easily be lost. Most everyone is deficient in magnesium anymore, along will all of the main minerals of the body. It can take several years to re-mineralize the body. It can take 12 months to replace one mineral such as iron, so to replace more can take awhile.

Role of Minerals in the Body

•    Minerals act as cofactors for enzyme reactions. Enzymes don’t work without minerals. All cells require enzymes to work & function. They give us our vitality.
•    They maintain the pH balance within the body.
•    Minerals actually facilitate the transfer of nutrients across cell membranes.
•    They maintain proper nerve conduction
•    Minerals help to contract and relax muscles.
•    They help to regulate our bodies tissue growth.
•    Minerals provide structural and functional support for the body.

There are two categories of minerals essential within the body, macro-minerals & micro-minerals. There is no one mineral deficiency, they all must be maintained in balance within the body.

Macro-minerals
•    Calcium
•    Phosphorous
•    Potassium
•    Magnesium
•    Sulfur
•    Sodium
•    Chloride

Micro-minerals (or Trace Minerals)
•    Iron
•    Boron
•    Chromium
•    Iodine
•    Manganese
•    Molybdenum
•    Selenium
•    Silicon
•    Vanadium
•    Zinc
•    Lithium
•    Germanium
•    Rubidium
•    Cobalt
•    Copper

Of all of these minerals found in the body, calcium is the main mineral, it comprises almost half of the mineral content in the body. Just 1% of the calcium in the body is actually in the blood, so blood tests are not accurate answers to just how much calcium our body truly has. The other 99% is stored in the bone. In order for calcium to be absorbed and utilized by the body there are several factors to consider. For example, if the overall systemic pH is off, it will be difficult to utilize the calcium you eat. Also, your hormonal function affects your ability to attain the calcium you consume, as well as whether or not you are adequately hydrated or if you digestion is impaired. Calcium also works in tandem with other minerals (particularly magnesium), vitamins and fatty acids. If you are not eating a properly prepared, whole foods, nutrient dense diet, staying hydrated and improving your over all digestion, you could be eating all the calcium in the world and not be able to retain it. Most everyone gets adequate calcium in their diet, but are missing some or all of the above co-factors in their lives to make it of use to the body in the way it is intended.
Having appropriate calcium homeostasis plays a significant role in bone remodeling. Old bone tissue is continually being destroyed and broken down and new bone is continually being created. Osteoblasts are bone-forming cells that convert cartilage to bone. Osteocytes  are our primary bone cells, and they maintain bone tissue. Osteoclasts are the bone-destroying cells that help with the function in resorption.
Calcium is only made available for other tissues in the body when the bone is broken down during remodeling. Bone helps to buffer the pH level of the blood through the release of calcium from the bone. (Bone is a major buffer of calcium and calcium is a major buffer of blood pH.) When blood is too acidic it will pull calcium from the tissues. And when the blood gets too alkaline, calcium can separate out and get deposited into the wrong tissues, thereby causing problems if an excess occurs in those tissues. Calcium is also needed for every nerve impulse.

In order for calcium to be absorbed it needs an acidic environment. If there is inadequate hydrochloric acid in the stomach you won’t be able to utilize the calcium you consume. Additionally, zinc is needed to help create the hydrochloric acid. Minerals are more difficult for the body to extract from the food. Absorption from the GI tract is the first step to getting the minerals into circulation, it can be a fairly complex process. If you see any aspect of undigested food in the stool, you can be sure you are not getting your minerals. Anyone with osteoporosis or osteopenia should check the pH of the stomach and check for adequate hydrochloric acid levels.

If certain hormones are dysfunctional in the body this will also affect our bodies ability to utilize calcium. Such as parathyroid, thyroid, adrenal and sex hormones. The parathyroid hormone is primary in regulating the blood calcium levels. The mineralcocoritcoids produced by the adrenals are very important in regulating minerals, particularly sodium/potassium homeostasis which has a role in calcium homeostasis as well. Women that go through menopause have a much greater risk of bone loss. Estrogen and progesterone need to be in balance at this time to help with osteoclastic activity.

Appropriate fatty acid intake in the diet is necessary for the calcium to be transported through the cells walls. Fatty acids also help increase the calcium levels in the tissues. Weston Price and Royal Lee talked about the relationship between vitamin D and vitamin F (or fatty acids) through their studies. Vitamin D gets the calcium into the blood, fatty acids get it into the tissue. Without appropriate fatty acids you won’t get calcium into your tissues which is where a larger quantity of our body houses calcium. Vitamin D is necessary for calcium homeostasis and bone health. (if supplementing be sure it’s in the form of D3, not D2)

Additionally, we need good hydration to ensure that the  blood is fluid enough to efficiently transport calcium throughout the body to other tissues. We also need to get balanced electrolytes (electrically charged ions of calcium, sodium, potassium , chloride, bicarbonate) to ensure an appropriate transfer of calcium in and out of  the cells. This is only the beginning of understanding how just one mineral works within the body. However, they all work synergistically, so it is very important to consume a high quality real food diet based on the properly prepared foods paradigm discovered by Weston A. Price through his studies of indigenous people groups. We need a full spectrum approach to ensure we are getting adequate mineral intake, not just supplementing with some or one or two individual minerals, hat will always throw off the mineral balance in the body. Be sure to consume a wide array of fresh real whole foods in season and properly prepared.

Best Food Sources of Minerals

By far the best and most ionic form of a full spectrum of minerals is bone broth. A full spectrum good quality sea salt is also a fabulous way to get in minerals and trace minerals. Also good mineral rich water from wells is a great option, but one that most of us no longer have access to. Animal proteins from well raised animal on pasture and grassfed as well as wild seafood are another great source. Properly prepared nuts, seeds  and legumes are excellent as well. Remember to pair these foods with good fatty acids to ensure you are actually utilizing them well. If you are not well versed on which fats are optimal, please read my post here on; ‘What Fats You Should Be Consuming.’  Raw milk dairy products (not pasteurized or homogenized), cultured dairy and cheeses are an excellent source. Pastured eggs are rich in a wide array of nutrients that all synergistically support each other. Dark leafy greens, sea vegetables, oysters, even butter and liver. If you are familiar with the foods recommended in ‘Nourishing Traditions’ and make sure to get a balanced diet from them you are likely getting the minerals your body needs. Just remember that there are cofactors to consider when your body shows signs of deficiencies.

Using Rhythm to Reinforce Your Healing Practice

adapted from "Awakening Beauty the Dr. Hauschka Way"

It is good to have a massage, acupuncture, chiropractic care or other therapy, but one session will not create lasting effect. The reason is that the impact of the treatment will dissipate with time. On order for healing touch, massage, acupuncture and other forms of mind, body, spirit health care to transform you, their effects must be reinforced with regular treatments. If you want to maximize the power of those treatments, use rhythm to reinforce their healing effects. 

Let's say you see a practitioner weekly, or even once a month. Schedule your appointments for the same day each week, or each month, at the same hour-for example 3 P.M. every Thursday, or 3 P.M. on the third Thursday of each month. Your body, mind and spirit will then become aware that they are getting a boost of healing energy in a rhythmic, or wavelike, pattern. With continued treatments, that pattern will be reinforced, deepened, and strengthened.  Soon, your internal rhythms will rise automatically as the time approaches for your treatment, thus boosting your self-healing forces and conditioning your body to heal.

Thank you to Susan West Kurz and Tom Monte

what do you want to revolutionize?

Top Five Regrets of The Dying - Exposing The Truth

Top Five Regrets of The Dying

December 1, 2011 By T Kelly 33 Comments

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.

This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.

When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.

Source: http://www.activistpost.com/2011/11/top-5-regrets-of-dying.html

What Knot

by Matt

“What is that thing, anyway?”

I’m always getting asked this question. I’m a massage therapist, and “that thing” is a knot. But what’s a “knot”? The short answer is “I don’t fully know,” but I’m not fully convinced that anyone else does either. Given my experience and education I will try my best to explain what we’re talking about when we say “knot” in massage.

Embarrassingly, the word “knot” occupies a kind of conceptual no man’s land between clinical definition and common language. Basically, we know one when we see one, but no one really knows of what it is comprised, or what set of criteria its qualities must satisfy to be called a knot. There is no medical definition of a knot.

photo by woodleywonderworks

It would probably be more accurate for me to say that no one really agrees on every aspect of what constitutes a knot, how you get knots, and how to treat them. However everyone agrees that a knot forms in muscle tissue. This includes connective tissue such as fascia and maybe tendon. Blood almost certainly plays a role, as does our nervous system. They are raised from the rest of the surface, and sometimes they are tender.

Secondly, knots also tend to form in stressed or damaged muscle. Overdoing it in the gym or on the trail will certainly aid this, but most massage therapists I work with are more inclined to find knots in muscles associated with desk work. These associate with the commute and compute postural distresses of holding your head and arms away from your body for too long.

Knots, as we vaguely understand them, are also likely to form in stressed or challenged people. I don’t mean to overstep my scope of practice here, but I will simply observe that people undergoing emotional stress due to family, career, or other life events often are also going through emotional stress. I’m constantly hearing, “Oh I keep all my stress in my neck and shoulders.” And I often find knots up there.

In my experience adhesion between muscle fibers or muscles, trigger points, and/or some combination of the two commonly present as something we clumsily describe as a “knot.” The term is nonspecific and could refer to cases that are dissimilar in most other aspects, but knots of any variety are non-lethal. Massage, rest, stretching, detoxification, lifestyle changes all contribute positively to their mitigation, though there is some debate as to whether they can actually be removed. This is true for which ever classification of knot we describe.

Still, knots remain elusive to clinical definition. To my knowledge no one has tried to biopsy one, I don’t know if they show up in cadavers. Based on the indications for treatment from my perspective as a therapist, I suspect most knots are masses formed from thickened muscle tissue and attendant metabolic wastes and associate with the combination of adhesion and trigger points.

Some knots seem to invest more than one muscle tissue. Comprised of inflamed myofascial layers, and almost always including a concentrated degree of connective tissue, these knots feel gristly, and their size does not predict sensitivity to pressure. These knots tend to sound and feel “crunchy.” I’ve heard this crunchiness comes from either connective tissue build up or from calcium crystal build up. It may not even be associated with the muscle, but with the ribs underneath the tissue.

Knots that refer pain within the domain of a predictable pain pattern are more accurately described as trigger points, and I get the feeling that most practitioners and quite a few clients are really talking about trigger points when they are speaking about knots. Trigger points are germane to our weird little world where a phenomenon of objective anatomical pathology overlaps with the intellectual property of their namer, Dr. Janet Travel, but the medical field officially recognizes them.

Where knots are general, trigger points are specific, predictable, and often don’t even present as knots. I find the most common ones show up in the upper back and in the calves. Trigger points by definition form within tight bands of muscles in predictable locations, they grow in mass, sometimes produce greater heat, and are sensitive and painful to the touch. Frequently, the pain associated with a trigger point refer to other points in the body. In my opinion treating trigger points are clinically more significant than the general presentation of knots.

Most therapists will treat knots of any variety with localized pressure delivered directly to the knot. More sophisticated practitioners, whether from training or experience, will undoubtedly apply different techniques to your knots based on what they feel. Generally speaking, true trigger points respond better to direct pressure than the more gristly “adhesion” knots. Releasing trigger points in this way can relax the entire muscle. Adhesive knots seem to respond better to being “ironed” or “combed” out of the tissue. Sometimes separating one muscle from the other through movement can deal with those types of knots.

So, if you suffer from knots, be they trigger points or of a more general character, massage can certainly help. But keeping in mind that they seem to form in relation to how we use our bodies, I would also suggest taking the time to assess your lifestyle and how you inhabit your body throughout the day. You may be able to change a habit or arrangement so that you don’t form the knots as quickly in the first place.

Massage: It's real medicine

Knead Massage?

Massage: It's real medicine - CNN.com

POSTED: 9:48 a.m. EST, March 8, 2007

By Kristyn Kusek Lewis
Health.com

Having your honey rub your back is sweet, but it's tough to compete with the hands of a pro. A good massage therapist can make you feel like a new person. And now research suggests massage can ease insomnia, boost immunity, prevent PMS, and more. Maybe that's why hospitals are making it a standard therapy.
"All of our surgery patients are offered the treatment -- I call it 'service with a smile' -- and it's a mandatory weekly prescription I give myself," says Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., director of the Cardiovascular Institute at New York Presbyterian Hospital--Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and a member of the board at LLuminari, a health-education company.
Our advice: Enjoy your hands-on time with your sweetie, but set aside some time for a real massage, too. Here are some feel-good reasons:
Goodbye, pain
It sounds like a no-brainer, but rubdowns are especially effective for aches like low-back pain. Researchers at the Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle, Washington, found that massage works better than common treatments including chiropractic therapy and acupuncture. It's not clear why, but several studies show massage reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol while boosting the feel-good hormones serotonin and dopamine. Those changes slow your heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and block your nervous system's pain receptors. Massage also increases blood flow to the muscles, which may help them heal. (Health.com: Frequently asked questions about massage )
A bonus: Massage also seems to ease distress from migraine, labor pain, and even cancer, as well as the body tenderness seen with fibromyalgia, says Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Plus, the benefits may last as long as a year after just a few treatments, says Partap Khalsa, Ph.D., a chiropractor and a program officer at the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Com­plementary and Alternative Medicine, the agency funding many major studies on massage.
Hello, dreams
Fluctuations in several types of brain waves either relax you or wake you up. Massage increases delta waves -- those linked with deep sleep -- according to a study at the Touch Research Institute. That's why it's easy to drift off on the massage table, Field says.
Nice to have you back, brain power
The Touch Research Institute study that connected massage to sleep also found that a 15-minute chair massage boosted alertness. "Subjects reported that it felt like a runner's high," Field says. Tests also show that brain-wave activity stimulated by massage is linked to improved attention.
Take that, colds
Massage helps ward off bugs by boosting your "natural killer cells," the immune system's first line of defense against invading illness. "We know that cortisol destroys natural killer cells," Field says. "Therefore, since massage decreases cortisol, your immune cells get a boost." Massage even seems to boost immunity in those people with severely compromised immune systems, such as breast-cancer patients.

Blues, be gone
Less cortisol and more serotonin and dopamine in your system may also mean less stress, anxiety, and depression. "We know that the right side of the frontal lobe of the brain is more active when we're sad, and the left side's activated when we're happy," Field says. "Our studies have observed that massage decreases activity in the right lobe and increases functioning in the left." The well-being people feel after a massage is a big reason why some hospitals offer it to anxious patients pre­paring for surgery and cancer patients going through chemo.
Shove off, PMS
A small study of 24 women with severe PMS found that massage reduced symp­toms such as pain, water retention, and mood swings. Try it with proven remedies such as exercise (and who-cares-if-they-work solutions like a little dark chocolate).