Unsubscribe
Update e-mail address
March 2008 [Volume 7, Issue 3]
To Your Health is brought to you by:
www.toyourhealth.com/newsletter/TYH_MAS/subscribe.php
In this issue of To Your Health:
The Benefits of Infant Massage
For centuries, massage has been used to promote wellness: a healthy circulatory system, improving immune function and releasing emotional stress. More and more studies are showing that infants may enjoy these same healthful benefits.
There are many reasons for infant massage therapy, from serious problems preterm infants face to common discomforts healthy full-term infants endure. Preterm infants, along with their parents, face some hard realities. Licensed massage therapists can help soothe the daily discomforts of these tiny frames, and in some cases promote a faster recovery. In a recent study, preterm infants exposed to daily stressors in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) showed reduced stress behaviors after massage therapy (December 2007 issue of Infant Behavior and Development).
"Infants received three 15-min. massages administered at 9, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day for five consecutive days. The massages were started on a Monday and ended on Friday of the same week, for a total of 15 massages. The preterm infants received their massages from licensed massage therapists who were trained on a structured protocol." The study concluded that even after such limited exposure of only five days, preterm infants "showed fewer stress behaviors from the first to the last day," suggesting that the therapy "desensitizes the preterm infant to the stressful environment of the NICU, perhaps by enhancing longer periods of parasympathetic activity." The study also suggests that over time, massage therapy has a stress-reducing or "pacifying effect" to infants.
For those familiar with infant massage, you are more than likely aware of the studies showing improvements in weight gain in preterm infants who receive infant massage; however, other benefits may occur from weight gain. The Journal of Pediatrics (July 2005) reported, "The weight gain experienced by preterm neonates receiving moderate-pressure massage therapy may be mediated by increased vagal activity and gastric motility." The study concluded that the weight gain in preterm infants might be directly related to "massage-induced increases in vagal activity, which in turn may lead to increased gastric motility and thereby weight gain."
In healthy full-term infants, massage therapy can relieve common discomforts such as colic, gas and constipation. It also has been shown to improve sleep, reduce stress behaviors, and regulate and strengthen the baby's digestive and respiratory systems, as well as stimulate circulatory and nervous systems.
Talk to your massage therapist and see if infant massage is a modality they perform. It might just help soothe you and your new baby.
Keeping Your Therapist Informed
It's the time of year when cold and flu season rears its ugly head. Everywhere you look – schools, offices, gyms and other public places – people are fighting the effects of various infections. Doctor's offices and emergency rooms are crowded and antibiotics are being taken by many. Ingesting antibiotics presents certain precautions and demands certain questions are answered before proceeding with the massage treatment.
You should not only inform your therapist you are taking antibiotics, but you also should tell them why, what kind and for how long you have been taking them. Are you suffering from an infection? Is the infection systemic or local? Do you presently have a fever? If so, is it spiking or is it low-grade? To maintain the safety of your massage session, it's important for your therapist to have the answers to these questions.
It is most likely safe to visit your massage therapist after you have been taking antibiotics for two or three days and are manifesting none of the cardinal signs of heat, fever, swelling or pain. When you visit your therapist, it's important to get the most out of the experience. Keeping your therapist informed will help them give you the best possible session to help you get back on your fee again.
Massage and Blood Clot Question
Question: What cautions should be taken for someone who has had blood clots removed from their leg? Are the cautions any different then someone who just has blood clots?
Answer: The person is probably on some form of blood thinner, such as coumadin as part of their treatment. If this is the case, massage is contra-indicated until they are off the medications, esp. with coumadin as this med makes the user very susceptible to hemorrhage. If the client is on a milder blood thinner, such as aspirin, massage is okay with the physician's permission but use gentle massage and avoiding the lower legs are recommended (or where clot was removed). Once someone has experienced blood clotting, there is a greater chance of possibly developing one again. So, it is best to avoid deep tissue techniques on the legs.
Rajam Roose
Note: Information provided in this Q&A section is drawn from the "Ask a Massage Therapist" online forum, in which massage therapists field questions relative to the massage profession. Readers are encouraged to post their questions at www.massagetoday.com/ask/. Answers should not be misconstrued as a diagnosis, prognosis or treatment recommendation and do not in any way constitute the practice of massage therapy or any other health care profession. Readers should consult their own health care providers for medical advice.
Unsubscribe
Thank you for subscribing to To Your Health. If you have received this
newsletter in error or wish to unsubscribe, you may remove your name from
our e-mail subscription list at www.toyourhealth.com/newsletter/TYH_MAS/unsubscribe.php.
Update your e-mail address
To update the e-mail address your newsletter is sent to, click here.
If you have any questions regarding your subscription, please complete this form at www.massagetoday.com/newsletterhelp/TYH.