do it from center

When visiting San Francisco the month before starting massage school, I could not help but notice the “massage” parlors all around the city. The practice massage was completely unregulated by the state leaving each individual city/county up to the task. This left San Fran handling as an “adult” industry with other places having stricter rules than any state. Finally, the state has passed uniform legislation, bringing legitimacy to the profession, safe guards for clients, and a means to police questionable operations. This brings Cali in line with 39 other states, including D.C. that also have such legislation.

A recent study conducted by researchers at Ohio State University found that Swedish massage helped speed muscle recovery at the cellular level for rabbits who got mechanically intense exercise. This comes as no suprise to Olympic swimmers Michael Phelps & Dara Torres who both used massage as a part of their daily routines. Phelps, 23, made history by winning eight gold medals. Torres, 41, became the oldest swimmer to compete in an Olympic event and win a silver medal

Read more at the Miami Herald

Skilled touch from a trained massage therapist is not the only way to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of human contact. Recent studies show that supportive and caring touch lower stress hormones and blood pressure, while also enhancing oxytocin, a hormone thought to calm and counter stress. To read more about the study, visit read the article on usatoday.com.

A couple weeks ago, I was prepping a bucket of SWEET peppers to roast on the grill. Yum, roasted red & yellow peppers, my favorite summer bounty. Suddenly, my hands start to burn. It occurs to be that I had a bucket of Anaheim (hot) peppers next to a bucket of Carne del Toro (sweet) peppers in my truck. A hot pepper or two must have tumbled over. Unfortunately, once the “pain” kicks in, its too late to wash - the oil has already absorbed. Capsaicin is the oil in peppers that causes the burning (pain) reaction and is known to take about 2 or 3 days to naturally come out of the skin. This is time that I did not have to wait…

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An exciting new study from the University of California, San Diego, Oncology-trained Licensed Massage Therapists brought relief to those suffering from advanced cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, massage is “thought almost universally to be a beneficial therapy.  It is helpful not only physically but emotionally as well, because it soothes the soul and the mind.”  Massage cannot cure cancer, but it has been shown in several studies to improve quality of life and well-being.
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