Happy New Year! It’s that time of year when we make a quick pitstop to see if
we’re on the best path in life to take us to our goals.


When you review your goals this New Year and re-evaluate your plans, no doubt
your health will be one of the things you consider. While there are many
elements involved in building and maintaining good health, one thing that seems
to support nearly every aspect of health is regular massage.


Like most things in life, consistency pays noticeable dividends when it comes
to massage and your health. When you are able to commit to a regular schedule
for your massage sessions, over time you should notice several benefits—your
body functions better overall, you have more energy and a pleasant mental
outlook.


As massage has been shown to boost the immune system, you may have fewer sick
days, and long-term, those regular massages just might help you fend off more
dangerous diseases and add more quality years to your life.


Remember to put your health high on your list and support your health with
massage. See you soon!


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It won’t be long ...   You know that special someone would love
a massage gift certificate for  Valentine’s Day! Call to order . .
.


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Simple Health Strategies Can Add a Decade or More to Your Lifespan


Massage therapists know that self-care is essential to a ... healthy life—and
new research shows how simple changes can add up to more years of life.
According to a press release from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada,
these seven strategies could potentially add 10 years or more to your life:


1. Get active. Inactivity can shave almost four years off a person's expected
lifespan. People who are physically inactive are twice as likely to be at risk
for heart disease or stroke.
 
2. Know and control your cholesterol
levels. High blood cholesterol can lead to the build up of fatty deposits in
your arteries, increasing your risk for heart disease and stroke.
 

3 Follow a healthy diet. Healthy eating is one of the most important things
you can do to improve your health – yet many people don't meet the healthy
eating recommendations.
 
4. Know and control your blood pressure.
High blood pressure is often called a silent killer because it has no warning
signs or symptoms. By knowing and controlling your blood pressure, you can cut
your risk of stroke by up to 40 per cent and the risk of heart attack by up to
25 per cent.
 
5. Achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Many
Americans are either overweight or obese, major risk factors for heart disease
and stroke. Being obese can reduce your life span by almost four
years.
 
6. Manage diabetes. Diabetes increases the risk of high
blood pressure, atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries), coronary artery
disease, and stroke, particularly if your blood sugar levels are poorly
controlled.
 
7. Be tobacco free. As soon as you become smoke-free,
your risk of heart disease and stroke begins to decrease. After 15 years, your
risk will be nearly that of a non-smoker.


Source: massagemag.com


New: Massage Therapy Lowers Blood Pressure in Pre-Hypertensive Women


Approximately one in every three Americans, or 31.3 percent, has high blood
pressure, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and
high blood pressure is a risk factor for stroke, congestive heart failure, heart
disease and kidney disease.


In new research, massage therapy resulted in significantly lowered systolic
and diastolic blood pressure in comparison with a control group, according to an
abstract published on www.pubmed.gov.


The investigators set out to evaluate the effect of Swedish massage to the
face, neck, shoulders and chest on blood pressure of the women with
prehypertension, according to the abstract.


This was a single-blind clinical trial study, the abstract noted, and added:
"Fifty pre-hypertensive women selected by simple random sampling [were] divided
into control and test groups. The test group (25 patients) received Swedish
massage 10-15 min., three times a week for 10 sessions and the control group (25
patients) also were relaxed ...[and received] no massage. Their [blood pressure]
was measured before and after each session."


The investigators noted, "Findings of the study indicated that massage
therapy was a safe, effective, applicable and cost-effective intervention in
controlling [blood pressure] of the prehypertension women ..."


"The effect of massage therapy on blood pressure of women with
pre-hypertension" was published in the Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery
Research (2011 Winter;16(1):61-70.) It was conducted by investigators with the
Department of Internal Surgery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan
University of Medical Sciences, in Isfahan, Iran.


Source: massagemag.com


How chairs cause cancer --


Sitting still for long stretches of time—at work, in the car, or at
home—increases your cancer risk, even if you exercise regularly, WebMD.com
reports. New research shows that as many as 49,000 cases of breast cancer and
43,000 cases of colon cancer could be prevented in the U.S. each year if people
simply stood up more often. “It seems highly likely  that the longer you
sit, the higher your risk,” says Neville Owen, a researcher at Australia’s Baker
IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, but “even breaks as short as one minute” can
lower it. The research supports a previous 14-year study that found that six
hours of sitting a day increased a woman’s odds of dying in that period by 37
percent, and a man’s by 18 percent, compared with people who sat for half that
time. Adults today are immobile for more than nine hours a day on average. Even
if you hit the gym, the American Institute of Cancer Research now says, it’s
crucial that you get up and move at least once an hour—by pacing during phone
calls, visiting the water cooler, or going to talk to a colleague in person,
instead of sending an email.


– The Week Vol. 11 Iss. 542


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Maybe the most any of us can expect of ourselves isn't perfection but
progress.
— Michelle Burford


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The content of this letter is not intended to replace professional medical
advice.
 If you’re ill, please consult a physician.
© 2012 Massage
Marketing. Used with permission; all rights reserved.