A Massage a Month Keeps the Doctor Away!?!

Does a massage a month really keep the doctor away? While I’m not completely sold on it (the apple didn’t work out so well, did it?), I do believe that massage is not only therapeutic but also medicinal. How so? Well, I hold my tension in my trapezoids and have knots near my shoulder blades, neither of which I can easily access. Massage also helps ease the pain of my migraines and headaches which lessens my use of medication. My calves are so tight they are at negative 10 degrees on one of the tests my podiatrist performed; they’re supposed to be at positive 10 degrees! My massage therapist is able to help relieve the muscle tension and stiffness in my calves which then makes it easier for me to stretch them daily and improve my flexibility. 

Massage is natural. There are no chemicals aside from whatever is in the lotions used by your massage therapist. A few other things I have experienced as a result of massage include but are not limited to:

• Reduction of overall stress: I make sure the subsequent 3-4 days are relatively stress-free.
• Reduction of muscle spasms: I find I have fewer muscle spasms the week following a massage.
• Improved posture: I always feel a couple inches taller the first few days after a massage.
• Reduction of anxiety: Surprise, while I have low levels of anxiety I feel less anxious in the days following a massage.

Why do I love to get a massage? It makes me feel better, strongly, calmer, less stressed, stronger and more relaxed. I also feel more educated as I ask my massage therapist specific questions and I receive answers, solutions and practical prevention advice. Massage therapists have hundreds of hours in the classroom as well as hands-on training and are licensed. I trust and respect my massage therapist just as much as my primary care physician, chiropractor and neurologist. My massage therapist is all of these and more wrapped into one. I have even become friends with my massage therapists! 

February is associated with love. Why don’t you love yourself and consider enjoying a massage as well?