Happy  Holidays, and welcome to the November 2011 newsletter!

Are you ready to  wrap up another year and head into the holiday season? I hope you have a chance  to spend some relaxing times this year with those people that mean the most to  you!

 During this busy time  of year, be  sure to allow adequate time for taking good care of yourself. It’s  so easy to  overextend when there’s so much to do and so many people to see. (Consider 
how helpful a massage could be to keep you going strong.)

 Thanks for choosing  me to help you  feel your best through bodywork. It’s very rewarding to know  that I get to do  my part in supporting your health with massage. Please let me  know if you have
any questions about how massage can help you achieve any of  your health goals;
I’m here for you!  

Please remember, you  can simplify your holiday shopping with massage gift certificates for those  special people  in your life—give a gift that really makes someone feel great!  You know your
loved ones will be in good hands.

 Please enjoy the rest  of this issue and see a few more ways how massage can help you stay healthy and  happy. I hope  to see you soon!


What could be better than a gift certificate for massage this holiday season?
                                                
        Give the gift of health to your loved ones--

Call today to order!


What Makes a Joyous Holiday Season?

 We all  know that the holiday season  can be an extremely busy time of year, with extra  commitments added to our  already full plates. But many of our extra efforts  lead to some special times visiting friends and family that we may not get to  see much of the year. What better time to put things into perspective? Why do  we expend all that extra effort if not to make these times more meaningful and  memorable?

 Usually,  our day-to-day duties dictate how we’ll be spending our time and leave us  little chance just to reflect on what means the most to us. Have you made time  for the things in your life that are most important to you? Staying in touch  with your loved ones? 

Pursuing your favorite activities: a sport or hobby; music  or art; writing or reading?
Underlying  all these things is your health. The healthier you are, the better you can  enjoy every aspect of your life.
Massage  may well be the best overall health booster available to you. Virtually every study done on massage shows that it can help your body to function more  optimally, while performing the
thousands of tasks your body does each day to  keep you going.

 Your  first real reward from regular massage is that great feeling you get after your  session—relaxed and energized at the same time. Then there are the many  benefits that you may not really be aware of—a healthier immune system, better  range of motion in your joints, less
stiffness—things you don’t notice because  they are working properly and don’t
need your attention.

 By making  your health your highest priority, you are making yourself more valuable to  everything and everyone in your life. So take good care of yourself and make  your life more joyous.
You hold the key to your future health!

 Study Supports Massage for Back Pain
A recent study by the  Group Health Research Institute in Seattle found that massage was more  effective at treating low-back pain than medication. Patients who received Swedish massage or
structural massage were more likely to report that their  back pain had improved
after receiving massage once a week for 10 weeks, and  improvements were still
present six months after the study. Researchers say  that a next step will be to
examine whether the different types of massage  produced similar effective
results for the same or different reasons. The study  was published in the July
5 edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine and is available at www.grouphealthresearch.org.
— Massage &  Bodywork magazine, Sept/Oct 2011
 
Bodywork Relieves Hand Pain  
The Touch  Research Institute at the University of Miami, in a study conducted in  conjunction with Massage Envy, has concluded that massage therapy reduces pain  and anxiety, improves sleep, and increases grip strength for various conditions  of the hand. Subjects received
15 minutes of hand massage for four weeks and  experienced positive results in
relation to the control group, which did not  receive massage. Tiffany Field,
PhD, of TRI indicates that hand massage can  provide relief for arthritis,
carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, and tennis  elbow, among other conditions.
The results were published in the April edition  of Complementary  Therapies
in Clinical Practice Journal.
— Massage  & Bodywork, Sept/Oct 2011
 
Food for Thought
• In 1950, the  average U.S. household spent 3 percent of its income on health care, and 22  percent on food. By 2010, food costs dropped to 7 percent of income, while  health care costs rose to 16 percent.
— Time
• Family health  insurance premiums jumped by an average of 9 percent this year, to an average  cost of $15,073—double the cost of health-care coverage in 2001.
— The New York Times
• According to the  2010 American Massage Therapy Association consumer survey, more than half of  adult Americans (58 percent) would like to see their insurance cover massage  therapy.
— amtamassage.org
• Over the last three  decades, Americans went from eating an average of 3.8 meals and snacks a day to  4.9 a day. The average American now consumes about 2,375 calories per day—about  32
percent more than in the 1970s.
— Time.com
•  According to the 2010 American Massage Therapy Association  consumer survey, people recognize massage as an important element in overall  health and wellness. Eighty-six (86) percent agree that massage can be  effective in reducing pain. Eighty-five (85) percent agree that massage can be  beneficial to health and wellness.
— amtamassage.org


There can be no happiness if th
things we believe in are
different from the things we do.
— Freya Stark


The content of this letter is not intended to replace professional medical advice.
                                                       
If you’re  ill, please consult a physician.
© 2011 Massage Marketing. Used with
permission; all rights reserved.