do it from center

Little-known fact: hearing about the Alexander Technique is what initially drew me to learn bodywork. The practitioner teaches the client better posture and movement by using words and touch. I’ve never taken a lesson, I admit, but the concept fascinates me. Having a high degree of kinesthetic awareness is necessary for dancers, and I speculated that it could help anyone move more fluidly and become more pain-free. I’ve just read a study published in the BMJ which supports that belief. The study reports that people suffering from back pain who recieved 6 to 24 lessons of the Technique achieved long-term benefits and many more pain-free days, compared to other therapies which were not as effective.

Read the research here: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/337/aug19_2/a884

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.

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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Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic musculoskeletal condition expressed in widespread pain over the entire body coupled with fatigue and sleep disorders. It effects approximately 7 million Americans and is more frequent in women than men. The cause is mostly unknown and no absolute cure exists, so many FM sufferers seek alternative modalities in search of relief. Massage is an effective method of pain management and can increase the quality of life for those suffering from FM. (more…)