Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/14740
is an instance where the pillars of intelligently managing your health—prevention and early intervention—come into focus. MEDICAL ODYSSEY If only math instructor Michelle Wehrwein of Frisco, Texas, had done things in reverse order. She reports that a pain in the upper part of her left buttock became so unmanageable she could not sleep or work. After an odyssey through 10 doctors, acupuncture, MRIs, pain pills, physical therapy, and surgery, a friend suggested she try massage. “It was honestly an act of God,” she says. “When I left the session, I had no pain at all.” Her massage therapist and new doctor finally concluded she had fibers under the skin’s surface that were tightening around a muscle, restricting her blood flow. Massage eased the condition. Despite the impact of her medical treatments on her finances, she is committed to the pain relief afforded by massage. Attorney J. Kim Wright of Taos, New Mexico, stressed out over the constant demands on her time after founding a law practice 15 years ago. Those pressures, combined with having a large family at home, soon led to margaritas at a local watering hole with her staff every Friday after work. When coworkers started discussing an additional drinking night on Wednesdays, she got worried about the path she was on. A colleague recommended massage. She scheduled weekly massage appointments, a resource that also helped her cope with a divorce when her life changed direction. The sessions stretched her budget, but became her lifeline, she reports, adding that she often broke into tears the minute she walked through the door for her massage session. “It was the outlet I needed,” Wright says. Massage for a Healthier You Here’s the beauty of bodywork: its benefits are multiplied when massage is used as a frequent therapy. The more massage you get, the more it does for you. The medical community is actively embracing massage therapy, and massage is becoming an integral part of hospice care and neonatal intensive care units. Many hospitals are also incorporating on-site massage to treat postsurgical or pain patients as part of the recovery process. Budgeting time and money for bodywork at consistent intervals is truly an investment in your health. While you are enjoying a massage, remember it can also help: • Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion. • Assist with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers and shorten maternity hospital stays. • Ease medication dependence. • Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body’s natural defense system. • Exercise and stretch weak, tight, or atrophied muscles. • Help athletes at any level prepare for, and recover from, strenuous workouts. • Increase joint flexibility. • Lessen depression and anxiety. • Promote tissue regeneration, thereby reducing scar tissue and stretch marks. • Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation. • Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles. • Relieve migraine pain. autumn/winter 2010 Body Sense 9