Vital - distributed monthly within the Detroit Free Press & The Detroit News. Also available free in hundreds of local racks
Advertisement
Advertisement
The Power of Touch
Massage making its way into mainstream
Whether it’s due to a long commute home, deadlines at work or hours of bad posture at a computer, many of us end the day with aches and pains.
There is a treatment on the rise for these discomforts – and no, it’s not that little white pill in the medicine cabinet. It’s massage, in all its many forms.
For years, Americans considered massage something for the rich and pampered, even though its healing history in other parts of the world dates back thousands of years. But in the last decade or so, massage has slowly been making its way into the public eye as a viable form of treatment for pain.
“Massage and body work were used by the Egyptians. It’s been used by Asian cultures for up to 10,000 years,” says Diane Urquhart, a myomassologist with the Henry Ford Center for Complementary & Integrative Medicine, in Novi.
“In many cultures, people who do massage and body work are seen as saviors. In this culture, because of some things that happened in the Industrial Revolution [in the 1800s], we [massage therapists] are looked at as next to harlots. And that‘s a shame,” says Urquhart, who is nationally certified in therapeutic massage and body work. “Part of our job as modern massage therapists is to get rid of the word masseuse.”
CHANGING ATTITUDES
That damaged reputation is being repaired by numerous studies showing that massage can do many positive things for the body. The proof has been clear enough that established hospitals and medical centers are now embracing it fully. Henry Ford Health System opened the Center for Complementary & Integrative Medicine as part of a national growing trend toward complementary medicine, which includes holistic health – a focus on the body’s ability to heal itself, by achieving balance of physical, mental and spiritual well-being – the holistic, or whole, person.
“We interface with the medical community in this center,” Urquhart says. “We get people often who are end-of-the-line pain victims. They’ve gone the medical route, and many have gone the surgical route. Many have been through physical therapy and had success for a while, but it didn’t last.”
Massage has the ability to increase the well-being of a body. The act of massaging works the lymphatic system. Lymph is a clear liquid that carries nutrients through the body and disposes of toxins. By increasing the movement of lymph around the body, the immune system works more effectively.
“In my opinion, one of the most important benefits is the effect that massage has on the immune system,” says Mark Brenneman, a certified massage therapist at Salone Nadwa and Day Spa, in Novi. “It improves the functioning. It also increases circulation and blood flow to all of the organs. It eliminates toxins in your body.”
While the national average for a one-hour massage is around $60, the service can run anywhere from $40 to about $120 for an hour-long session, depending on the service provider. Massage is generally not covered by health insurance.
The most common use for massage is to fight chronic pain, Brenneman says. In women, he finds the pain is commonly upper back and neck pain. Men, he says, often complain of lower back issues. Either way, massage can help relieve the pain for a longer period of time than is achieved by simply taking a painkiller, which just hides the hurt.
Massage can also help increase the body’s range of motion, which may be of particular interest to those who have suffered a stroke or have arthritis. Or, as in the case of Ann Collet, it can be used to treat a ruptured disc. Collet, who is in her 80s, could barely walk due to the pain in her back. Doctors didn’t feel it was safe to operate on her, and prescribing a pain medication would have been complicated by the other medications she was already taking. It was then that her daughter suggested she go see Urquhart.
“It’s made quite a difference in my lifestyle,” says Collet, who lives in Livonia. “I do things that I wouldn’t have done before. I used to hate to walk. Now I walk. I sleep much better. It really does help. It’s almost miraculous.”
HEALING TOUCH
One of the most-overlooked benefits of massage, Urquhart says, is the simple act of touch.
“We live in a society that I call the ‘touchless’ society, because if you touch someone, you can be sued,” she says. “Touch can help decrease blood pressure. Touch can help relax you on a mental, spiritual and a physical level.”
Urquhart and Brenneman agree that going to a massage therapist once a year, while relaxing, won’t truly give you the results you may be after. To keep pain at bay and use massage as a preventative health measure, you should go about once a month, both say.
Experts say there are very few people for whom massage isn’t suitable, and a good therapist will encourage you to ask your doctor whether you’re among them.