More research evidence that massage reduces bad stress hormones and increases the good ones! Reported here in the New York Times last week.

Back!

After a wonderful break taking care of the new baby, I'm back to seeing clients. Fishtown hours are Wednesdays 2pm - 8pm, and in Fairmount by appointment. Returning to work I love is a joy, and I'm looking forward to seeing all my wonderful clients again!

A break this summer

I will be on maternity leave starting June 23rd. I'll post here when I'm back at work, but feel free to contact me mid-August and afterward about appointments or any other questions.

Have a great summer until then!

Holiday Gift Certificates

The blustery weather has reminded me it's that time of year-- cold, darker days AND celebration and gift-giving! Many view the short days as a good time to slow down, reflect on the year past and focus on self-care and health to prepare for the year ahead. In that spirit, I'm offering gift certificates at a nice discount--for friends, family or even yourself. Single gift certificates are $65 for 60 minutes, 2 gift certificates are $100, 4 gift certificates are $180. I can mail certificates in a holiday card directly to the recipient if you wish. Offer good through December 31, 2009. See paypal options below, right.

Brain Is a Co-Conspirator in a Vicious Stress Loop

An interesting New York Times article today illustrates the relationships between chronic stress, brain function and how we behave. The classic "fight or flight" response can get thwarted into unproductive habits or passive inaction that likely brings more chronic stress.

Reporting earlier this summer in the journal Science, Nuno Sousa of the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute at the University of Minho in Portugal and his colleagues described experiments in which chronically stressed rats lost their elastic rat cunning and instead fell back on familiar routines and rote responses, like compulsively pressing a bar for food pellets they had no intention of eating.

Moreover, the rats’ behavioral perturbations were reflected by a pair of complementary changes in their underlying neural circuitry. On the one hand, regions of the brain associated with executive decision-making and goal-directed behaviors had shriveled, while, conversely, brain sectors linked to habit formation had bloomed.

In other words, the rodents were now cognitively predisposed to keep doing the same things over and over, to run laps in the same dead-ended rat race rather than seek a pipeline to greener sewers. “Behaviors become habitual faster in stressed animals than in the controls, and worse, the stressed animals can’t shift back to goal-directed behaviors when that would be the better approach,” Dr. Sousa said. “I call this a vicious circle.”

Robert Sapolsky, a neurobiologist who studies stress at Stanford University School of Medicine, said, “This is a great model for understanding why we end up in a rut, and then dig ourselves deeper and deeper into that rut.”

Makes one want to get out of the rat race. Hopefully those Portuguese rats are living stress-free these days. The article ends with sound advice for rodents and humans:

It’s still August. Time to relax, rewind and remodel the brain.

Additional location for massage appointments!

Beginning next week, I'll also see clients at Barefoot Doctor Community Acupuncture Clinic in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, 618 East Girard Avenue. Appointments available Wednesdays 2-7pm. Please call or email me to schedule. The location is accessible by the #15 trolley along Girard Ave, and street parking is plentiful.
For wonderful acupuncture, see http://www.barefootclinic.com

Massage and Cancer

When I was in massage school 9 years ago, our instructors and textbooks wisely argued for a great deal of caution when cancer was present in a massage client, and many people with cancer were told to avoid all massage. Fear that massage could spread cancer around the body was still a strong concern. Currently, that fear is largely discounted and doctors and others working with cancer patients focus on figuring out the best ways to bring massage and people with cancer safely together.

Gayle MacDonald is a massage therapist bringing the massage and medical far worlds greatly closer with her passion for massage and deep understanding of the many needs of people with cancer. Her book Medicine Hands: Massage Therapy for People with Cancer, is the bible for any therapist interested in oncology massage training and she also offers intensive training programs which include hospital supervision. Medicine Hands is also a superb resource for people facing cancer and their family members. Reading the book, I wanted to jump on a plane and study with her immediately. Maybe someday... but for now I plan to study with one of her former students and leader in this field on her own right, Tracy Walton, who is more conveniently for me located on the East Coast.

U.S. News and World Report writes last month about a positive study on massage with advanced cancer patients here. The outcomes find that massage did reduce pain compared with the control group in the short term. Massage (by therapists trained in oncology procedures) was compared to simple touch, which probably has wonderful benefits on its own, especially for people suffering physically and emotionally from disease. I don't know if the majority of massage schools will include oncology training soon, but if they do, I hope they strive for the quality and scientific thoroughness of Macdonald's and Walton's instruction.