Massage and waste products

As massage therapists we're taught that massage releases toxins and that we have to recommend our clients to drink plenty of water so those toxins can be washed out. But when you do research, it's hard to find specific studies supporting this notion, if you define toxins as poisons in your body. What you can find though is that massage helps the body release its waste products, which in great abundance can become toxic, or at least harmful to your muscles.

Simplified, our muscles take in nutrition from the blood and release waste products. As we use our muscles these waste products are transported away and eventually exits the body. But if a muscle can't work properly, is tense and stiff, with knots stopping the flow and so on, the transportation of waste products is slowed down. The system doesn't function optimally.

Massage helps normalize the muscles and thereby their natural functions and the functions of the system. So a good massage helps the muscles to remove their waste products.

Circulation is also improved by massage, and this is where water comes into the equation. If we're dehydrated, water is lacking in the body and it influences our bodily liquids. By drinking lots of water we improve the circulation. We all know how drinking a lot of water makes us urinate more. The kidneys have the function of cleansing the liquid in the body and via the urine releases the natural waste products.

There are several reasons to drink water after a massage.
Firstly, you become slightly dehydrated from lying on the table in a hot room and need to refill your tanks.
Secondly, water assists the body to remove waste products and improves circulation.
And Finally, it's nice with a glass of cold fresh water afterwards to wake up and come back to reality on.

Further reading:
http://www.trackshack.com/training/training-talk/massage.shtml

The importance of massage exchanges

Image via Wikipedia

As a massage therapist it can be hard to remember to take care of oneself regularly, especially if you have a busy schedule and focus on the well-being of your clients. It's important though that you take time to get a massage often, for those working full time at least once a week. This just to take care of your body and prevent injuries and fatigue. What we preach to our clients is true for ourselves as well and shouldn't be ignored if we want to last long in this profession and be able to give our clients the best experiences possible.

Ideally though is to do massage exchanges with other therapists. There are several reasons for this.

It builds professional relationships with other therapists and allows you to assess their skills so you can recommend them to your clients should you not be able to see them for an appointment. This in return of course will have your massage partner refer clients to you as well and the end result becomes better for all partners.

You build upon your own professional experience and can share knowledge, techniques and experiences with the massage partner. Together you can work on a technique, introduce new ones or simply fine-tune the ones you already use.

It can at times be hard to get feedback from clients as they don't have the professional background to tell if the way you moved your thumb is the best way technically or if there are minor details you need to correct and change. A fellow massage therapist will provide the best feedback and constructive critique of your massage, as well as being able to show you the better way. We also often build bad habits over time, as we develop our own styles and techniques. Without feedback from a professional massage therapist it's easy to get caught up in something that might not be the best for the clients.

With a colleague you can share your experiences and help each other. One might know a lot about sport injuries and be able to fill in gabs in your knowledge about a specific field. But it's not only technically experiences can be shared. It can also be ideas and advice on how to deal with certain situations you can experience as a massage therapist. The client who doesn't play, an erection during a massage, the client who gets such an intense mental release from the massage that they break down in tears afterwards. All these things can be difficult to handle if you don't have any experience in it. By hearing of others experiencing these things, you find other ways to see a situation and get ideas on how to deal with it next time it might happen.

It doesn't just need to be massage therapists within your own fields you exchange massages with. A lot can be learned from receiving massages from someone doing something entirely different from yourself. It brings in new perspectives and gives ideas that you might use on your own clients. It also allows you to counsel and advice your clients based on first hand experience and not just theory. First hand experiences always become more valid. Or even, expands your knowledge about massage styles into areas you might not even know about.

Finally, massage exchanges can teach you new techniques and massage forms. It can even grow into a situation of you teaching each other about your own special areas and techniques. Not just as inspiration, but as a full skill-set. Here of course you'll need to keep in mind if the other therapist is qualified and allowed to teach. You might consider taking classes and courses to finalize the training and use the massage exchanges as practice and general education.

Giving and getting massages from another massage therapist is a great way to improve your own skills and perfect your techniques, while for a small cost maintain your wellness and counter injuries and exhaustion. A good site for finding a fellow massage therapist to do exchanges with is http://www.massageexchange.com/

Massage tips for you

Image by madaboutasia via Flickr

We often want to give a friend or a loved one a massage that'll help them deal with a current soreness, or merely make them relax and feel good. Not everybody can take classes in massage, though finding a brief class to teach you basic techniques for a good back rub is advised. Below I've listed some tips and tricks to give a good back rub, which you hopefully will find useful.

Tips to giving a good back rub:

• Don't be afraid to touch, use your entire hand to massage with. When you use the entire hand to touch with it's more relaxing and pleasant, it shows you have confidence and enjoy giving touch. A light touch, or partial touch can be tickling. It's good to give a proper touch and have full contact when you start a massage and it can be very relaxing and soothing on its own.
• Be attentive and sensitive, pay attention to the reactions and try to feel all details in the muscles. The more attentive you are, the better a massage you give. A back rub should never hurt and you can instantly feel on the muscles if you press too hard. They will tense up. It requires focus and concentration in the beginning, but becomes second nature with practice.
• When you feel a knot, slowly stroke/press it with a fingertip, thumb, palm or knuckle, 5-10 times until it loosens. Often it doesn't take that much effort to release a tight knot. Never overdo it and if it doesn't release after 5-10 slow strokes, then let it be and return to it at a later time. Over stimulation of knots can cause harm, so try to limit yourself there.
• Make sure the room is warm and comfortable when nude, freezing makes the muscles tense up and isn't relaxing. You want the massage to be a pleasant experience, so also make sure you are comfortable with the temperature. Should the one you massage feel cold, cover them with a big towel or a sheet. When people relax they often tend to feel the cold more.
  
• Use a mat or folded blankets on the floor, the bed is too soft. When you receive a massage on a soft surface, the pressure is going to be adsorbed by what you're lying on instead of going into the muscles.
• Wear loose clothing. It's important when you give a massage that you're comfortable and can easily move around. You should be able to focus on the one you massage and not how you feel.
• Ensure that the massage oil is warmed in your hands before applying it. There's nothing more shocking than cold massage oil when you feel all relaxed. Make sure the oil has the same temperature as the skin of the one you massage to make it a pleasant experience. Also, avoid using too much massage oil. Just use enough that you can glide over the skin without pulling it or hair on it.
• Move slowly. It's always better to massage slowly instead of quickly. Too sudden strokes and pressures can feel painful. A slow stroke is very sedating and relaxing, while a brisk quick stroke is energizing and awakening. Think of the purpose of the massage when you consider the strokes applied.
• Soft music and turn of the phone. Make sure there are no disturbances and the environment is pleasant. Soft slow music can make people relax and float away, while quick rhythmic music will wake people up and energize them. Make music and the speed of the strokes match.
• Work only on muscles and avoid bones or areas with a pulse. It's generally safe to massage muscles as long as you're careful and make sure you don't cause pain. Massing on bones is generally unpleasant and painful and won't serve any purpose in a good back rub situation. Anything with a pulse should be avoided. Veins and arteries can in worst case be damaged, in best case you might make the person faint or an arm tingle.
• Start with long soft strokes, go deeper and end soft again. Long soft strokes are good to make the person relax and prepare him or her for the massage. When the person is relaxed, then you can work in more detail and deeper on the muscles. Don't forget to say good bye to the area you've massaged by ending on a soft slow stroke again. The soft slow strokes should feel like a firm caress, not massaging the muscles, but with full contact to the skin, expressing confidence and enjoyment.

Most important of all, make sure you both enjoy what you are doing and that you trust each other. A massage can be done both fully clothed (without massage oil) and partially undressed. There is no need to remove more clothes than from the areas which will be massaged and keeping a towel or sheet nearby to cover can be useful.

Do you have any tips to giving a good back-rub, or have you any experiences you'd like to share? Leave a comment below.

Rubbing It In – Massage as a lifestyle choice

Image via Wikipedia

Jennifer Diamant Foulon is a personal devellopment consultant working in Paris. When I met her at a presentation workshop she hosted, she couldn't stop talking about this wonderful experience she had had. I was inspired to write an article about it, Massage as a Journey, and asked her if she was interested in sharing her story with the world. She was more than happy to, for which I'm very grateful.

We went to Thailand for sun and food and, frankly, because it seemed like the kind of place you go when your inlaws take your kids for 2 full weeks. My husband’s pending 40th birthday seemed like a good enough excuse, and off we went. It was our first vacation in 10 years without the children and we couldn’t wait to wake up without alarms or cries for food, to be un-needed, and for me, to eat 42 times (14 days x 3 meals) in restaurants.

True to form our vacation had an itinerary for flights, hotel reservations and recommended outings. I will now sheepishly admit to carefully “planning” the down time each day so that we wouldn’t be overscheduled. I had heard about massages being available and inexpensive in Thailand and hoped to try it out. Massage had always seemed to be a decadent thing – I remembered having a gentle rub of a massage as a Mother’s Day gift one year. Late afternoon seemed like a good time to go since we had outings each morning before the sun was too strong.

Once we were in Thailand there were indeed massage parlours everywhere. And I was in a highly recommended one by the 3rd day of our trip. I was a bit intimidated by the menu of options – there were stone, herbal, steam, aromatherapy, and Thai massages offered from 1-4 hours. I finally just picked one, a 2-hour Thai massage, smiled for immediately reciprocated reassurance, and was quietly but firmy whisked away while I left my husband a message that I would be awhile.

Now that I think back to that first massage, I remember being very conscious of what I was wearing and whether the time was passing quickly or slowly. I mean, 2 hours? Even on vacation that seemed like a long time. The first 15-20 minutes I was keenly aware of how and where I was being touched as I got used to Ping, my massage therapist, and how often she would love and adjust herself to access all parts of my body. And then as the pressure on my arms, legs, back, neck and facial muscles began, I got it.

I started experiencing what can only be called a release. It started in the muscles themselves, but then very slowly spread to my mind as I gave into the sensations moving through my body. My thoughts slowed a bit, and while I still had fragments of conversations buzzing around my neurons, they seemed to retreat and become quiet. I can even say that I started to sense and feel parts of my body that I hadn’t recently touched or thought about or just that I had never considered. “Here” said Ping, kneading the left side of my neck. “What happened?” I started thinking about what had happened, even searching my memory for the right response. Ping kept kneading, and while it wasn’t painful if was more uncomfortable than I would have usually tolerated. And then it came to me – my cramped-up snooze on the flight several days earlier. She just nodded. 10 more minutes of kneading and it was gone. Completely gone. By the time the 2 hours were over, I felt light. Everywhere. And I cried. Not sobs of regret or sadness, just tears that seemed to want to let go of anything else that was left in me that didn’t need to be there anymore. I didn’t know I needed this. I didn’t know I could feel this relieved.

I had 3 more massages over the next 10 days. Each was was 2 hours – I had decided that 2 must be my lucky number. I tried aromatherapy, where the senses are heightened by the oils that are used both in the room and on your body. The massage therapist didn’t touch me for about the first 15 minutes. The layers of fragrance present in the room were divine, and the temperature was constantly changing. I also tried steam therapy, and had a hot stone massage, and it was all luxurious. I didn’t cry again but began to be able to empty my mind more quickly of “the next thing I had to do”, Outlook reminders of varying upcoming birthdays, last minute Mother’s Day bouquets, and the post-it lists that can be found on our refrigerator. And while I wished I could empty my mind and body without massage, I am delighted to have discovered this kind of therapy, if I can call it that, which treats both the body and the spirit.

Emptying my mind of the unnecessary has also proved inspirational – I am finding that I am more aware of others, and their potential, as the result of this lightness, this sense of simplicity. And I still feel great a full 6 weeks after our return from Thailand. Meeting Pia recently has helped me put these thoughts to words. Massage is such an amazing lifestyle choice.

Jennifer Diamant Foulon is a Paris-based international people development consultant with 15 years of experience assessing, designing and facilitating leadership and management training. In 2007 she started her own company, Performance Acceleration, where she facilitates training events and leadership initiatives for small and large groups, as well as individual coaching assignments.