Massage Therapy
Massage is the manipulation of the body through touch: rubbing, stroking, kneading, tapping, and/or jiggling. Massage can improve circulation, relieve aches and pains, help to build or reduce the size of muscles, and can be administered as pure indulgence. The effects of massage can be enhanced with the use of essential oils.
Since massage can have such a profound effect on the body, we must take into consideration the many contraindications -- reasons that massage could be injurious instead of beneficial. Some examples include: acute infectious disease, aneurysm, cancer, chronic fatigue, edema, fever, hematoma, hernia, high blood pressure, inflammation, intoxication, medication and drugs, osteoporosis, psychosis, scoliosis, skin problems, and varicose veins. This is why the massage intake form asks for medical history.
Massage stimulates the body into releasing accumulated toxins, dumping them back into the blood stream. Too much toxic release can tax the liver and other organs and cause a healing crisis. In other words, too much can make you sick. At the end of a session you might feel great, but if too much has been released, by the next day you may feel like you are catching the 'flu. Massage therapists attempt to balance the amount of relief with the repercussions of the released toxins. We try to have you leave feeling better without getting sick the following day. This is one reason it may require multiple visits to relieve a physical complaint.
My training in Swedish Massage from the Myotherapy Institute of Massage, in Salt Lake City, Utah, included 420 hours of courses in Anatomy, Physiology, Stress/Strain Syndrome, Psychology, Psycho/Soma, Acutherapy, Hydrotherapy, Polarity, and Ethics, plus 100 hours of supervised hands-on training. After graduation, I passed the examination offered by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. Upon passing the national certification test, I was awarded my license by the Missouri State Board of Therapeutic Massage. I am a member in good standing of the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals.