Newsletter

Coming soon: Our very own HUG THE MOON Wellness Studio Newsletter!

This quarterly Newsletter will include:

• wellness care information

• nutrition news

• healthy recipes

• a schedule of upcoming events

As a prelude to the launching of our newsletter, we would like to share the following article from Prevention Magazine, November 2011:

Massage: The Magic Touch

Studies done at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and at the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle showed that therapeutic massage:

• eases pain

• boosts immunity

• improves mood

After analyzing blood samples taken from subjects pre and post massage, Mark H. Rapaport, MD, leader of the Cedars-Sinai study, found that a 45-minute Swedish massage:

• brought on a major spike in lymphocytes, white blood cells that fight bacteria and viruses

• decreases substances that cause inflammation and trigger allergies and asthma

• lessened production of a hormone that is associated with stress levels.

“ Massage help you stay healthier”, said Dr. Rapaport, now chairman of the department of psychiatry and behavioral science at Emory University School of Medicine.

The Seattle study found that massage does a very good job of relieving back pain as well. It compared the benefits of two types of massage with whatever the participants were already doing, including taking medication.

At the end of study, up to 39% of those who got a massage said their back pain was better or gone, with just 4% of people who followed their usual care.

“For lower back pain, massage and other treatment such as acupuncture are every bit as effective as-and sometimes more effective then-conventional medical treatments and often have less serious side effects,” said senior investigator Daniel C. Charkin, PhD.

What This Means For You: If you suffer from back pain, it’s time to start taking massage seriously. Receiving one massage a week may not only relieve your discomfort but also keep you healthier overall, because nagging pain can make you depressed and weaken your immune system.

Some insurance plans pay for massage for cancer patients or people suffering from musculoskeletal problems.

Dr. Rapaport’s findings could pave the way for research that will one day convince insurers to cover routine massage. For now, schedule a massage as often as your wallet permits. “I get a massage once a week,” Dr. Rapaport says. “It has relieved my stress and because I have a very bad back, massage has certainly helped that too.”