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Who Kneads It?
Massage therapy may offer relief — and relaxation
hen Bob McDonald
was having back pain
a couple of years
ago, he decided to try
a massage. Now he
wouldn’t miss his weekly floor massage
at the fitness center at Twinsburg
Stamping, where he’s a welder
repair facilitator and UAW Local
122 member.
At the fitness center, opportunities
for both chair and floor massages are
offered for a nominal fee through
StayWell. “It’s wonderful,” says
McDonald. “I look forward to it all
week long.”
McDonald is among a growing
number of people who are taking
advantage of massage therapy — 18
percent of adult Americans had a massage
in 2002, up from 8 percent in
1997. “I think it’s going to be expanding
more,” he says, “as more people
discover the benefits.”
If it sounds touchy-feely, that’s
because it is. Massage is the use of
touch for healing. Hundreds of
different techniques — from acupressure
to movement therapy to
Zen shiatsu — squeeze under the
massage therapy umbrella. And the
range of problems they are said to
address is equally broad, from
elevated blood pressure to joint
dysfunction, from stress to carpal
tunnel syndrome, from limited
mobility to depression.
The Touch Research Institutes,
which conduct scientific studies of
the effects of massage therapy, have
found that massage can reduce pain,
decrease adolescent aggression, enhance
the immune system, encourage
growth in preterm infants and
relieve asthma.
While it will not cure any serious
conditions, massage may provide
relief by increasing circulation, releasing
anti-stress hormones (endorphins)
and strengthening the immune
system. “I’ve gained flexibility,” says
McDonald, “and I believe my overall
health is much better. I don’t have
the aches and pains I used to have.”
You might want to start by reading
up on the different approaches to
touch healing (see “Link to Learn”).
The UAW-DaimlerChrysler Family
Training Centers in Ohio, Syracuse
and Newark also offer courses in
therapeutic massage.
Make sure the practitioner is properly
qualified for whatever form of
massage you choose. If
your state doesn’t license
massage therapists, look for
membership in a professional
organization, such
as the American Massage
Therapy Association, which
makes available a national
list of trained members.
Once you’ve found a
qualified therapist, you
may discover that if you’ve
got some pain or stress,
massage therapy is one
way to rub it out. “I get a
massage before work,”
says McDonald, “and I
feel invigorated all day.” ■
— Rachel Eugster
Link to Learn
www.amtamassage.org
The Web site of the American
Massage Therapy Association,
which promotes massage therapy
as integral to good health.
www.aboutmassage.com
A comprehensive site listing
benefits, techniques, schools
and associations.
www.massagetherapy.com
A site that lists more than 200
techniques, as well as information
on looking for a therapist
and massage therapy training.
www.miami.edu/touch-research
The site of the Touch Research
Institutes, which sponsor
studies of massage therapy
by researchers at universities
such as Duke and Harvard.
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