Face massage can make your skin look younger, "glowing and fresh".
Masseuse Beata Aleksandrowicz recommends spending 30 minutes every morning kneading and pummelling your skin, explaining it can help relax your face and make it appear younger.
"The idea behind a face massage is that it stimulates the whole area including your neck so there is more oxygen in the skin," she explained. "It makes you glow and look fresh."
Victoria Beckham is known to be a fan of the art, and has taken to contorting her face into unusual shapes in an effort to turn back time.
Beata realises not everyone will have half-an-hour a day to dedicate to facial exercises, and so advises people to concentrate on the most problematic areas.
"There are simple self-massage techniques that you can use daily to improve the quality and structure of the facial muscles," she said. "Choose the area that has the most tension and work on that."
She advises relaxing your face fully before you start. Try dipping cotton wool in cool camomile or green tea, then applying the compress on your eyes and take some deep breathes.
Start at your chin, and using the tips of your fingers make small circles up your jaw towards your ears. "Don't stretch the skin," she advises. "Keep the movements slow and steady."
Then do the same from your nose, across your cheeks and to the ears.
She explained: "Hook your thumbs under the cheekbones and gently slide up along them several times.
"Press the middle fingers gently into the inner corners of your eyes and hold for 10 seconds. Continue to work up and around the eye socket counting to five each time you press down."
She then advises massage the temples, before using circular motions to move across the forehead. Finally, tap your skin all over to help your muscles look "lifted and plump".
2009年12月30日星期三
2009年12月29日星期二
Inspirit Institute to offer massage courses
Dubuque's Inspirit Institute promises to offer more than specialized job training.
"We're sending them out with a vocation, not a job," said faculty member Patrick Sterenchuk.
Owned by Lynn Young, Inspirit Institute will begin offering massage therapy and other courses in January. Young owned a massage therapy school in Madison, Wis., for several years beginning in 1997.
Massage therapy is one of the fastest-growing occupations in health care, and Young believes Dubuque is ready to begin producing more massage therapists.
"Dubuque reminds me of Madison right before I moved there," she said. "It's cutting edge."
Inspirit's 700 hours of course instruction equals about 10 months for full-time students or 11/2 years for part-time students. Iowa licensing regulations require 500 hours of study. Graduates will exceed the requirements necessary to sit for the National Certification Board Exam for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork.
Inspirit's coursework also includes business and marketing classes, in addition to the
body work, so students are prepared to strike out on their own after graduation. A couple faculty members boast nursing degrees, and coursework will include anatomy study related to massage. Kinesiology and Reiki study is also included.
Tuition is $7,500 and includes a massage table and text books. About 16 students have already signed up for classes.
"We're going to keep classes small," Sterenchuk said, "no more than 20 students."
Students will practice by utilizing what they have learned, but Young has a different model than traditional clinicals that provide members of the public massages for a flat fee.
"Wouldn't it be better if we went out to the community, working with Hospice, the Riverview Center, and gave back to the community," she said.
Sterenchuk said "there's nothing wrong with the traditional model -- it just doesn't suit this endeavor."
"We're sending them out with a vocation, not a job," said faculty member Patrick Sterenchuk.
Owned by Lynn Young, Inspirit Institute will begin offering massage therapy and other courses in January. Young owned a massage therapy school in Madison, Wis., for several years beginning in 1997.
Massage therapy is one of the fastest-growing occupations in health care, and Young believes Dubuque is ready to begin producing more massage therapists.
"Dubuque reminds me of Madison right before I moved there," she said. "It's cutting edge."
Inspirit's 700 hours of course instruction equals about 10 months for full-time students or 11/2 years for part-time students. Iowa licensing regulations require 500 hours of study. Graduates will exceed the requirements necessary to sit for the National Certification Board Exam for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork.
Inspirit's coursework also includes business and marketing classes, in addition to the
body work, so students are prepared to strike out on their own after graduation. A couple faculty members boast nursing degrees, and coursework will include anatomy study related to massage. Kinesiology and Reiki study is also included.
Tuition is $7,500 and includes a massage table and text books. About 16 students have already signed up for classes.
"We're going to keep classes small," Sterenchuk said, "no more than 20 students."
Students will practice by utilizing what they have learned, but Young has a different model than traditional clinicals that provide members of the public massages for a flat fee.
"Wouldn't it be better if we went out to the community, working with Hospice, the Riverview Center, and gave back to the community," she said.
Sterenchuk said "there's nothing wrong with the traditional model -- it just doesn't suit this endeavor."
2009年12月28日星期一
Experience The French Alps: Skiing, Spas, Savoy Wine
The Auberge le Pas de l'Alpette in Chapareillan is offering a week's activity holiday in the mountains with skiing, snowshoeing, spa relaxation, and wine tasting.
The Séjour Glisse Passion package gives guests seven days to discover the resorts and natural benefits between the Chartreuse and Pays d'Allevard mountains.
This stay, from Saturday to Saturday, starts at the hotel at 2. p.m. with a welcome aperitif and presentation of the programme. Activities will be chosen depending on the snow conditions and participants' level.
This half-board stay includes a five-day ski pass for the Collet d'Allevard and Les Sept Laux resorts, where it is possible to hit the pistes on your own or let the hotel's guide show you the resort and help you trace your first tracks or perfect your technique.
In the middle of the week, a break day lets guests either discover the majestic mountainscapes during a snowshoe trek (snowshoes provided) or take a time out for pampering at the thermal baths of Allevard or Challes les Eaux.
Since the mountain also means good country products, one evening is dedicated to the discovery of a vineyard with Savoy wine tastings.
A free shuttle bus ensures transportation from the hotel and the resorts or activity site. The €539 price includes half-board accommodation in a two-star hotel, a five-day ski pass, a day of snowshoeing or a day at the thermal baths, a wine tasting evening, and use of the hotel's sauna and gym facilities.
The price does not include ski hire, but it is possible to hire gear on site at negotiated rates or to bring your own equipment.
Related website:http://www.dragonflytours-japan.com
The Séjour Glisse Passion package gives guests seven days to discover the resorts and natural benefits between the Chartreuse and Pays d'Allevard mountains.
This stay, from Saturday to Saturday, starts at the hotel at 2. p.m. with a welcome aperitif and presentation of the programme. Activities will be chosen depending on the snow conditions and participants' level.
This half-board stay includes a five-day ski pass for the Collet d'Allevard and Les Sept Laux resorts, where it is possible to hit the pistes on your own or let the hotel's guide show you the resort and help you trace your first tracks or perfect your technique.
In the middle of the week, a break day lets guests either discover the majestic mountainscapes during a snowshoe trek (snowshoes provided) or take a time out for pampering at the thermal baths of Allevard or Challes les Eaux.
Since the mountain also means good country products, one evening is dedicated to the discovery of a vineyard with Savoy wine tastings.
A free shuttle bus ensures transportation from the hotel and the resorts or activity site. The €539 price includes half-board accommodation in a two-star hotel, a five-day ski pass, a day of snowshoeing or a day at the thermal baths, a wine tasting evening, and use of the hotel's sauna and gym facilities.
The price does not include ski hire, but it is possible to hire gear on site at negotiated rates or to bring your own equipment.
Related website:http://www.dragonflytours-japan.com
2009年12月27日星期日
Medical Minute 12-24: Robots Massage Away Pain
Just two weeks before 23-year-old marine Mike Delancey was scheduled to return home from Iraq, his worst nightmare happened.
"The bullet hit and came through my left shoulder right here, and it basically traveled across my spine," said Mike Delancey.
His family was told he wouldn't make it. Thankfully, Mike survived, but was paralyzed. Now part of his recovery is getting his game back.
"If I try to do certain things like shoot a basketball, you know, it comes right here, and you don't have that right motion," he said.
Mike turned to a robot for help. It works by lengthening tight muscles. A physical therapist positions the mechanical arm over the targeted area. Built-in sensors are programmed to apply a specific amount of pressure.
"It starts actually very subtly, moving and hunting, and it fools the muscle fibers to go and come apart and go from an adhered state and go like this," said Al Meilus, President of Meilus Muscular Therapy & Sports Inc.
After a chiropractor dislocated his joint, Dave Hutchieson was told he would never walk again. The former paratrooper didn't lose hope.
"We were always told never give up. It doesn't matter what happened, never give up."
After a couple months with the robot, he was walking normally. Mike is seeing improvement too.
"The bullet hit and came through my left shoulder right here, and it basically traveled across my spine," said Mike Delancey.
His family was told he wouldn't make it. Thankfully, Mike survived, but was paralyzed. Now part of his recovery is getting his game back.
"If I try to do certain things like shoot a basketball, you know, it comes right here, and you don't have that right motion," he said.
Mike turned to a robot for help. It works by lengthening tight muscles. A physical therapist positions the mechanical arm over the targeted area. Built-in sensors are programmed to apply a specific amount of pressure.
"It starts actually very subtly, moving and hunting, and it fools the muscle fibers to go and come apart and go from an adhered state and go like this," said Al Meilus, President of Meilus Muscular Therapy & Sports Inc.
After a chiropractor dislocated his joint, Dave Hutchieson was told he would never walk again. The former paratrooper didn't lose hope.
"We were always told never give up. It doesn't matter what happened, never give up."
After a couple months with the robot, he was walking normally. Mike is seeing improvement too.
2009年12月24日星期四
Use caution when purchasing electronic massage devices
Massage therapy certainly has many benefits and feels great on those sore and overworked muscles. There is nothing quite like the relaxing feeling of a good massage given by a skilled therapist. However, in a true sign of the times this ancient healing practice traditionally performed by trained massage professionals has been converted to battery power in the form of electronic massage devices of every kind.
There is no question that the massage chair at the mall feels great to sit in after hours of shopping. It’s electronic fingers move around and around hitting some great points on your body along with some occasional not so great points. But if you adjust yourself a little in the seat you can get the electronic shiatsu “massage therapist” to hit those major areas on your back and legs. You can also stop in the local specialty store at the mall and purchase a variety of massagers for your take home use. You will find everything from massage chairs with electronic kneaders to vibrating back cushions to hand held devices of every kind. This year you will even find an electronic head massager with music and “magnetic therapy”.
Some of these devices really are nice. A little electronic back vibration with pressure point thingies can feel great. Add a little heat and you are in heaven. However, used in excess or inappropriately they can cause injury (see The Case of the Killer Tens Belt). Repeated pressure or vibration in the same area can cause soreness or even more severe muscle damage, however, if you follow a few simple rules your experience with your new electronic massager can be safe, fun, and relaxing:
1. Always read the warnings. Massage, even electronic massage, has contraindications and the warnings may shed some light on these.
2. Never use these devices if you are pregnant, elderly, have reduced sensitivity, or have any medical disorder whatsoever without consulting a health care professional.
3. Do not use your massager for long periods of time. Hopefully this will be expressed in the warnings.
4. Use caution with anything on your head. Your brain can be injured from a variety of things. Is your electronic head massager worth the risk to you?
5. “Magnetic Therapy” has absolutely no scientific support whatsoever. Do you want all of that magnetic energy around your head?
6. Never sleep with a massager on. When you sleep your sensitivity to pain decreases and you could be severely injured before you wake up.
While it is exceedingly unlikely that your electronic massager will help your chronic pain, they can make nice gifts and do have a minor positive therapeutic effect on your body when used correctly. Just use some common sense, read the instructions, and use your electronic massager in moderation.
There is no question that the massage chair at the mall feels great to sit in after hours of shopping. It’s electronic fingers move around and around hitting some great points on your body along with some occasional not so great points. But if you adjust yourself a little in the seat you can get the electronic shiatsu “massage therapist” to hit those major areas on your back and legs. You can also stop in the local specialty store at the mall and purchase a variety of massagers for your take home use. You will find everything from massage chairs with electronic kneaders to vibrating back cushions to hand held devices of every kind. This year you will even find an electronic head massager with music and “magnetic therapy”.
Some of these devices really are nice. A little electronic back vibration with pressure point thingies can feel great. Add a little heat and you are in heaven. However, used in excess or inappropriately they can cause injury (see The Case of the Killer Tens Belt). Repeated pressure or vibration in the same area can cause soreness or even more severe muscle damage, however, if you follow a few simple rules your experience with your new electronic massager can be safe, fun, and relaxing:
1. Always read the warnings. Massage, even electronic massage, has contraindications and the warnings may shed some light on these.
2. Never use these devices if you are pregnant, elderly, have reduced sensitivity, or have any medical disorder whatsoever without consulting a health care professional.
3. Do not use your massager for long periods of time. Hopefully this will be expressed in the warnings.
4. Use caution with anything on your head. Your brain can be injured from a variety of things. Is your electronic head massager worth the risk to you?
5. “Magnetic Therapy” has absolutely no scientific support whatsoever. Do you want all of that magnetic energy around your head?
6. Never sleep with a massager on. When you sleep your sensitivity to pain decreases and you could be severely injured before you wake up.
While it is exceedingly unlikely that your electronic massager will help your chronic pain, they can make nice gifts and do have a minor positive therapeutic effect on your body when used correctly. Just use some common sense, read the instructions, and use your electronic massager in moderation.
2009年12月23日星期三
Le Sport resort offers peace of mind on the St. Lucia beach
The tag line reads: “Give us your body for a week, and we will give you back your mind.” But what I’m wondering as I arrive for my two-night stay and am welcomed by a boisterous chorus of crickets is if I’m here for just two days, do they give me back a piece of my mind?
Located on the extreme northern side of the island of St. Lucia about a 20-minute drive from the capital of Castries, and about an hour away from the famous Piton volcanic peaks, Le Sport opened in the mid-’80s with health and wellness front and centre. Back then the concept of taking a holiday to launch a healthier lifestyle had not yet gone mainstream.
Clearly, the all-inclusive Le Sport was a resort ahead of its time.
In addition to the expected beach resort activities — kayaking, sailing, scuba, for instance — are those that keep many guests returning for an annual retreat. Daily back-to-back activities begin as early as 7 a.m. with a bicycle tour to nearby Pigeon Island or a guided hike, perhaps up to Mount Du Cap for a bird’s eye view of the beach. There are various levels of yoga, meditation, spinning and stretching classes, Tai Chi, introductions to fencing and martial arts ... the list goes on and on and on.
Guests are invited to do as much or as little as they want. Nothing is forced but there are a few not so subtle encouragements here and there. For instance, there are no TV sets in any of the resort’s 154 guest rooms. “We want guests out of their rooms enjoying the many activities and getting in touch with self and (if travelling as a couple) their partner,” says brand manager Judy Deterville.
There are also “eating healthy” reminders on the menus and select dishes are starred for things such as low fat and low sodium. While each of the four restaurants offers healthy choices, the selections are mixed in with holiday choices. So, if you want a burger and fries after a long lazy day of lounging under a beach umbrella —no one’s there to lay a guilt trip.
The heart of The Body Holiday at Le Sport is The Oasis. I’d say it’s one of the largest and most comprehensive spas in the Caribbean, but health and wellness leader, Matthew Powell says they don’t like to use the term spa. “We’re so much more than that,” he says. “Wellness Centre is more accurate.”
In addition to the wide range of programs, one of the main points of distinction of this beachfront all-inclusive is that spa treatments are included. Guests are entitled to one spa treatment a day as part of the package. There are seven treatments to select from, including 50-minute scrubs, facials and massages — like the full-body one I tired at the skilled hands of Heidi; one of about 45 therapists who work here. Spa manager Dr. Abhishek (a doctor of Ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy) says about half a dozen staff members are wellness practitioners brought in from different parts of the globe including those that specialize in Reiki, Balinese therapies, Ayurveda, acupuncture, nutrition/iridology and hypno and psycho therapies.
In addition to spa treatments and wellness therapies, there are also customized programs such as smoking cessation, sleeping restoration and cellulite flush. The doctor stresses this is not a restrictive place — no boot camp philosophy — but a place to make subtle but significant changes that can be taken home and implemented into everyday life. Peace of mind is an added bonus.
Located on the extreme northern side of the island of St. Lucia about a 20-minute drive from the capital of Castries, and about an hour away from the famous Piton volcanic peaks, Le Sport opened in the mid-’80s with health and wellness front and centre. Back then the concept of taking a holiday to launch a healthier lifestyle had not yet gone mainstream.
Clearly, the all-inclusive Le Sport was a resort ahead of its time.
In addition to the expected beach resort activities — kayaking, sailing, scuba, for instance — are those that keep many guests returning for an annual retreat. Daily back-to-back activities begin as early as 7 a.m. with a bicycle tour to nearby Pigeon Island or a guided hike, perhaps up to Mount Du Cap for a bird’s eye view of the beach. There are various levels of yoga, meditation, spinning and stretching classes, Tai Chi, introductions to fencing and martial arts ... the list goes on and on and on.
Guests are invited to do as much or as little as they want. Nothing is forced but there are a few not so subtle encouragements here and there. For instance, there are no TV sets in any of the resort’s 154 guest rooms. “We want guests out of their rooms enjoying the many activities and getting in touch with self and (if travelling as a couple) their partner,” says brand manager Judy Deterville.
There are also “eating healthy” reminders on the menus and select dishes are starred for things such as low fat and low sodium. While each of the four restaurants offers healthy choices, the selections are mixed in with holiday choices. So, if you want a burger and fries after a long lazy day of lounging under a beach umbrella —no one’s there to lay a guilt trip.
The heart of The Body Holiday at Le Sport is The Oasis. I’d say it’s one of the largest and most comprehensive spas in the Caribbean, but health and wellness leader, Matthew Powell says they don’t like to use the term spa. “We’re so much more than that,” he says. “Wellness Centre is more accurate.”
In addition to the wide range of programs, one of the main points of distinction of this beachfront all-inclusive is that spa treatments are included. Guests are entitled to one spa treatment a day as part of the package. There are seven treatments to select from, including 50-minute scrubs, facials and massages — like the full-body one I tired at the skilled hands of Heidi; one of about 45 therapists who work here. Spa manager Dr. Abhishek (a doctor of Ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy) says about half a dozen staff members are wellness practitioners brought in from different parts of the globe including those that specialize in Reiki, Balinese therapies, Ayurveda, acupuncture, nutrition/iridology and hypno and psycho therapies.
In addition to spa treatments and wellness therapies, there are also customized programs such as smoking cessation, sleeping restoration and cellulite flush. The doctor stresses this is not a restrictive place — no boot camp philosophy — but a place to make subtle but significant changes that can be taken home and implemented into everyday life. Peace of mind is an added bonus.
2009年12月22日星期二
How to Cope with Astigmatism?
In normal conditions, our eyes are like round balls, and if they change in shape, we will suffer from some eye problems. For example, when they like eggs, we suffer from astigmatism. As for the feature of astigmatism, glasses manufacturers have designed toric contacts, for both myopia and hyperopia with astigmatism.
The structure of toric contacts is different from others. For this contact must be fixed while eyeballs are moving. Up-down, blinking and other movements will be well coordinated.
There are also many toric contacts for people with astigmatism in the market. Soft, and Rigid Gas Permeable lenses, contacted are very typical and ideal alternatives for astigmatism sufferers. There are also color contacts, too. Additionally, people like to wear soft toric contacts for their convenience and comfort and wearers of such contacts can always keep their corneas in shape.
For some people, they are not suggested to wear rigid gas-permeable, for these contacts may drop off on some occasions, especially when people have to do some sports. RGP contacts are much better than toric contacts for people with mild astigmatism.
Sometimes, people may not suffer from eye problems in both eyes, but one. In that case, multi-focal toric contacts are nice choice for them.
Genetically, astigmatism can be inherited from parents. But the symptom will not appear until it comes to some stages, especially when people work under great pressure. Some people have noticed this, while others have not. But there is always a solution for this problem- wearing toric contacts.
Wearers find that, compared with other contacts, toric contacts are much better in vision correction. But these contacts are really very expensive. This reason is the manufacturing costs of these contacts are much higher than ordinary ones.
more info
Tips for Buying Eyeglasses Online
Shopping on-line has become more and more popular with the development of science and high tech. For the convenience and efficiency, people, especially young adults, would more prefer to buy things on line rather than hanging out for shopping. However, things, including eyeglasses sold on line are not so guaranteed as those in real life. Here are some tips for buying eyeglasses online.
To be clear about your eyeglass prescription and astigmatism, this is the most important. If the present eyeglasses prescription can bring you clear vision, you can purchase a pair with the same prescription. If outdated, mostly more than 2 years after issuance by your eye doctor, what you have to do is to get a new one.
To make sure what type of eyeglasses you are in need of, from the styles to materials. For example, if you have a round face, eyeglasses with square frames or rectangular frames are more suitable for you than those with round frames which will make you face rounder. If you are allergic to metal while you are fond of metal, eyeglasses made out of titanium will be your perfect choice.
Communicate with the online retailer more, either via their toll free phone or email. It is inevitable to meet with something that you don't understand, because of the limitations of knowledge, the best way to get a clear idea is to communicate with the seller to get the information you need.
Bargain with the seller. Things sold online are usually cheaper than that in real life, because it is unnecessary to rent a store. What needs to be done is just to set up a website on the Internet which is much cheaper. Therefore, to bargain until you think the price comes to be reasonable.
Be careful of add-ons. If you buy eyeglasses in real life, except the glasses that you need, some add-ons, such as glasses cloth, and glasses case are normally included in the meantime. Thus, before you confirm on-line, you had better to make sure with the seller whether those things are send free of charge or they are charged for extra fee. For there indeed are some retailers on-line cheat customers for charging extra fees by obfuscating some related details.
Last but not least, it is the universal truth that if you would not be cheated, you have to shop around, so is it for shopping on-line. To find out 3 or 4 different on-line retailers who sell for the same glasses model that you want, so that you can compare apples to apples. Some famous online stores such as ZenniOptical, www.Firmoo.com and others offer pretty fair deals on a variety of eyeglasses and prescription sunglasses.
Will Health Care Reform Benefit Massage Therapists?
As the American Medical Association stated in its AMA News: "Your guess is as good as anyone's." Well if they don't know, I'm sure I don't know. However, I am trying to keep you in the loop as much as I can in these early stages of health care reform.
First, I want to thank all of you wonderful readers who have taken the time to correspond with me in reference to my articles. Next I want to thank Massage Today for allowing me to share insurance and other business-building ideas as a columnist since its January 2001 inception. Also, I wish everyone a beautiful, safe, healthy, successful and happy new year.
Reading, studying and watching every health care news article, subscribing to dozens of Web sites and health care reform outlets and sitting in on many conferences to keep up on this health care reform stuff has been overwhelming, and I am ready to pull out my hair. But I love it, what can I say? I love trying to find any and all loopholes we might possibly be able to crawl through. About three of the health care reform bills state that discrimination will be eliminated. This means that all state-licensed or certified health care providers will have to be recognized and reimbursed. The House and Senate bills may ultimately not be our answers, even though some information like this may be extremely helpful. Then again, what would be their definition of "health care provider"?
I will be asking for assistance with some projects from each of you who really want to increase your clientele and your income as you move ahead in the health care arena. It will not be easy. It will be fun, rewarding and time-consuming. Are you willing to help? If so, send me an e-mail at vivmahoney@aol.com . I will save your e-mail after I read it and will be back to you with any updated news and with information on the help we need to move us forward.
Will Health Care Reform Benefit Massage Therapists? Today, I attended an hour-long health care telephone conference on the federal ERISA Guidelines. ERISA (Employee Retirement Insurance Security Act) is the federal act that governs many issues of employer and employee finances. For us it means that if we are not allowed to be insurance company "in-network" providers who will reimburse for services in employer group plans, we are losing hundreds of thousands of client prospects and income dollars because the majority of those covered by insurance are through their employer group plans. Since ERISA is a federal law, it supersedes state laws that require insurance companies to reimburse massage therapists, such as in Florida and Washington.
In reflecting on the ERISA call, it seems that hour and 10 minutes was much of a waste. The presenter (though obviously extremely knowledgeable on ERISA), was speaking in what seemed to be a foreign language. He also had to present a week's class in an hour. Needless to say, he rushed through it so fast that it was not only impossible to understand him, but it was impossible to keep up with the presentation he zipped through with only one or two seconds per slide. I have downloaded some of that presentation that was sent in advance and try to match my seven pages of written notes to the 165 slides in the presentation.
However, the good news is that he allowed us to ask questions. I and one other gentleman had the only two questions he accepted. My question: Why doesn't the ERISA Self-Insured Employer Group Health Plans directly reimburse health care providers who are state-licensed and/or certified? Meanwhile, ERISA is willing to reimburse other health care providers, often costing more, who in turn hire the state-licensed providers to do the actual work?
His answer, the best I could decipher it at high speed and in a foreign accent was this: "They [ERISA] will pay for the services a state-licensed provider provides, but if you are not a provider in the network, they will send the patient the money. The patient will then most often take the money and run." He then added, "You can get the patient's credit card on file. Then, if the payment is sent to the patient and they don't bring in the check, you can charge their credit card."
The best part of that conference is now I have his e-mail and phone number. He told me to contact him off line and he will discuss it more thoroughly. Time allowing, I will get to that this before my next article.
I want to always be sure that we as a profession can find any loophole to slide through and not be eliminated as practitioners who are directly reimbursed for the services we perform.
First, I want to thank all of you wonderful readers who have taken the time to correspond with me in reference to my articles. Next I want to thank Massage Today for allowing me to share insurance and other business-building ideas as a columnist since its January 2001 inception. Also, I wish everyone a beautiful, safe, healthy, successful and happy new year.
Reading, studying and watching every health care news article, subscribing to dozens of Web sites and health care reform outlets and sitting in on many conferences to keep up on this health care reform stuff has been overwhelming, and I am ready to pull out my hair. But I love it, what can I say? I love trying to find any and all loopholes we might possibly be able to crawl through. About three of the health care reform bills state that discrimination will be eliminated. This means that all state-licensed or certified health care providers will have to be recognized and reimbursed. The House and Senate bills may ultimately not be our answers, even though some information like this may be extremely helpful. Then again, what would be their definition of "health care provider"?
I will be asking for assistance with some projects from each of you who really want to increase your clientele and your income as you move ahead in the health care arena. It will not be easy. It will be fun, rewarding and time-consuming. Are you willing to help? If so, send me an e-mail at vivmahoney@aol.com . I will save your e-mail after I read it and will be back to you with any updated news and with information on the help we need to move us forward.
Will Health Care Reform Benefit Massage Therapists? Today, I attended an hour-long health care telephone conference on the federal ERISA Guidelines. ERISA (Employee Retirement Insurance Security Act) is the federal act that governs many issues of employer and employee finances. For us it means that if we are not allowed to be insurance company "in-network" providers who will reimburse for services in employer group plans, we are losing hundreds of thousands of client prospects and income dollars because the majority of those covered by insurance are through their employer group plans. Since ERISA is a federal law, it supersedes state laws that require insurance companies to reimburse massage therapists, such as in Florida and Washington.
In reflecting on the ERISA call, it seems that hour and 10 minutes was much of a waste. The presenter (though obviously extremely knowledgeable on ERISA), was speaking in what seemed to be a foreign language. He also had to present a week's class in an hour. Needless to say, he rushed through it so fast that it was not only impossible to understand him, but it was impossible to keep up with the presentation he zipped through with only one or two seconds per slide. I have downloaded some of that presentation that was sent in advance and try to match my seven pages of written notes to the 165 slides in the presentation.
However, the good news is that he allowed us to ask questions. I and one other gentleman had the only two questions he accepted. My question: Why doesn't the ERISA Self-Insured Employer Group Health Plans directly reimburse health care providers who are state-licensed and/or certified? Meanwhile, ERISA is willing to reimburse other health care providers, often costing more, who in turn hire the state-licensed providers to do the actual work?
His answer, the best I could decipher it at high speed and in a foreign accent was this: "They [ERISA] will pay for the services a state-licensed provider provides, but if you are not a provider in the network, they will send the patient the money. The patient will then most often take the money and run." He then added, "You can get the patient's credit card on file. Then, if the payment is sent to the patient and they don't bring in the check, you can charge their credit card."
The best part of that conference is now I have his e-mail and phone number. He told me to contact him off line and he will discuss it more thoroughly. Time allowing, I will get to that this before my next article.
I want to always be sure that we as a profession can find any loophole to slide through and not be eliminated as practitioners who are directly reimbursed for the services we perform.
2009年12月21日星期一
Israeli eye doctors make delta tour
NATI Marcus can remember the day his life – and, subsequently, the lives of thousands of people around the world – changed.
“Four years ago, I was just a normal person,” Mr Marcus, from Israel, said. “I went to a cocktail party and was talking to an eye doctor and then he told me about how easy it is, how little it costs, to make a big difference [in developing countries].”
He decided to form an NGO, named it Eye from Zion, and has since taken groups of eye specialists to Tibet, Vietnam and Azerbaijan, where they performed free operations for locals.
“Our primary goals are to provide medical care, medical training, and to be goodwill ambassadors of Israel, so that people know that we care,” Mr Marcus said.
“Now so many wonderful people have joined [the group], like [photographer] Vardi Kahana – my life has changed.”
Last month, a seven-person Eye from Zion team, comprised of four eye doctors, medical technician Hovav Nuttman, Ms Kahana and Mr Marcus, performed free operations at hospitals in Pyapon and Mandalay, gave lectures at Yangon Eye Hospital and contributed medical equipment.
Over three days Eye from Zion specialists treated 67 patients, mostly for cataracts. However, there were some more serious eye conditions, including one patient with a tumour, that warranted plastic surgery.
“We could really tell we were improving people’s lives, especially in Pyapon” said Dr Nirit Bourla. “You could tell they really needed the operations. And there were some surgeries [plastic surgeon] Dr Levartovsky did that treated life-threatening conditions.”
A team of local doctors working with Eye from Zion treated an additional 120 patients, including 55-year-old U Unt Kwe from Mandalay’s Sein Pann Quarter.
“I heard about the delegation while I was in the hospital getting my eyes tested,” U Unt Kwe said. “I am very grateful for this free eye surgery program.”
Daw Mya Tin from Mandalay’s Aung Pin Lel Quarter, said she read about the delegation in local journal Yadanarbon.
“It’s like winning the lottery for poor people like us, we’re really very grateful for this opportunity,” she said shortly before going into surgery.
Dr Aung Kyaw Myint, who coordinated the project on behalf of the Israeli embassy, said: “I’m glad that there can be such a mission doing things for free for people in an area where there is need.”
At the opening ceremony on November 17 in Pyapon, Health Minister Dr Kyaw Myint said in Myanmar cataracts are the main cause of blindness.
“To achieve the national objective of reducing the blindness rate to less than 0.5 percent, the Ministry of Health has established new eye care centres equipped with microscopic and surgical facilities,” he said, adding that the ministry is providing free cataract surgery to poor patients and implementing outreach programs in remote areas, to enable people to have the “right to sight”.
Israeli ambassador to Myanmar Yaron Mayer said the first part of the project took place in August 2009, when Myanmar ophthalmologists Dr Sandar Thein and Dr Ohmmar Myint travelled to Israel to train under Dr Tzvi Segal at his hospital in Tel-Aviv.
“They came to Israel and trained with me, and they are very, very good doctors,” Dr Segal said.
Ms Kahana, a photographer for the weekend supplement of Israel’s most widely read newspaper, Yediot Ahronoth, was on hand to take portraits of patients before and after their surgeries for a planned exhibition in Israel.
“It’s very moving to see,” Kahana said, “People getting to see for the first time, you can see them smile, and see how good they feel. It’s a wonderful feeling for us, too.”
An online journal of the mission, written by Dr Bourla and accompanied by Ms Kahana’s photographs, will be published on the Israeli news website Ynet, she said.
“I hope we can return soon to Myanmar,” Ms Kahana said on the group’s last evening in Myanmar. “There are so many stories here, and we could tell that there really was a need for the work that we do.”
“The hospitality we were shown was truly unparalleled, I hope this isn’t the last time we come,” Mr Nuttman agreed.
The Eye from Zion delegation was funded by Mashav (Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation), the Israeli Red Cross, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and private donors, including the doctors on the trip.
Article source:
Israeli eye doctors make delta tour
“Four years ago, I was just a normal person,” Mr Marcus, from Israel, said. “I went to a cocktail party and was talking to an eye doctor and then he told me about how easy it is, how little it costs, to make a big difference [in developing countries].”
He decided to form an NGO, named it Eye from Zion, and has since taken groups of eye specialists to Tibet, Vietnam and Azerbaijan, where they performed free operations for locals.
“Our primary goals are to provide medical care, medical training, and to be goodwill ambassadors of Israel, so that people know that we care,” Mr Marcus said.
“Now so many wonderful people have joined [the group], like [photographer] Vardi Kahana – my life has changed.”
Last month, a seven-person Eye from Zion team, comprised of four eye doctors, medical technician Hovav Nuttman, Ms Kahana and Mr Marcus, performed free operations at hospitals in Pyapon and Mandalay, gave lectures at Yangon Eye Hospital and contributed medical equipment.
Over three days Eye from Zion specialists treated 67 patients, mostly for cataracts. However, there were some more serious eye conditions, including one patient with a tumour, that warranted plastic surgery.
“We could really tell we were improving people’s lives, especially in Pyapon” said Dr Nirit Bourla. “You could tell they really needed the operations. And there were some surgeries [plastic surgeon] Dr Levartovsky did that treated life-threatening conditions.”
A team of local doctors working with Eye from Zion treated an additional 120 patients, including 55-year-old U Unt Kwe from Mandalay’s Sein Pann Quarter.
“I heard about the delegation while I was in the hospital getting my eyes tested,” U Unt Kwe said. “I am very grateful for this free eye surgery program.”
Daw Mya Tin from Mandalay’s Aung Pin Lel Quarter, said she read about the delegation in local journal Yadanarbon.
“It’s like winning the lottery for poor people like us, we’re really very grateful for this opportunity,” she said shortly before going into surgery.
Dr Aung Kyaw Myint, who coordinated the project on behalf of the Israeli embassy, said: “I’m glad that there can be such a mission doing things for free for people in an area where there is need.”
At the opening ceremony on November 17 in Pyapon, Health Minister Dr Kyaw Myint said in Myanmar cataracts are the main cause of blindness.
“To achieve the national objective of reducing the blindness rate to less than 0.5 percent, the Ministry of Health has established new eye care centres equipped with microscopic and surgical facilities,” he said, adding that the ministry is providing free cataract surgery to poor patients and implementing outreach programs in remote areas, to enable people to have the “right to sight”.
Israeli ambassador to Myanmar Yaron Mayer said the first part of the project took place in August 2009, when Myanmar ophthalmologists Dr Sandar Thein and Dr Ohmmar Myint travelled to Israel to train under Dr Tzvi Segal at his hospital in Tel-Aviv.
“They came to Israel and trained with me, and they are very, very good doctors,” Dr Segal said.
Ms Kahana, a photographer for the weekend supplement of Israel’s most widely read newspaper, Yediot Ahronoth, was on hand to take portraits of patients before and after their surgeries for a planned exhibition in Israel.
“It’s very moving to see,” Kahana said, “People getting to see for the first time, you can see them smile, and see how good they feel. It’s a wonderful feeling for us, too.”
An online journal of the mission, written by Dr Bourla and accompanied by Ms Kahana’s photographs, will be published on the Israeli news website Ynet, she said.
“I hope we can return soon to Myanmar,” Ms Kahana said on the group’s last evening in Myanmar. “There are so many stories here, and we could tell that there really was a need for the work that we do.”
“The hospitality we were shown was truly unparalleled, I hope this isn’t the last time we come,” Mr Nuttman agreed.
The Eye from Zion delegation was funded by Mashav (Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation), the Israeli Red Cross, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and private donors, including the doctors on the trip.
Article source:
Israeli eye doctors make delta tour
The woman's guide to eye care
While eye diseases are not really gender specific, the many stages of a woman's life can have an impact on her vision, due to lifestyle habits and hormonal changes, as well as the subtle visual changes that occur as a natural part of aging.
Women in general tend to be more prone to getting eye allergies, irritations and eye infections, including Conjunctivitis, or Red Eye.
A very common reason for this is the use of cosmetics.
Particles from cosmetics such as eyeliner and mascara can sometimes trigger an infection, particularly when there is a surface abrasion on the cornea, causing redness, irritation and eye swellings.
Another cause of infection is bacteria build up in cosmetic tools, so it is important to cultivate the good habit of cleaning make-up brushes regularly and discarding cosmetics that have expired to avoid eye infections or allergic reactions.
"Over-wearing" and improper contact lens handling is quite a common problem among women, who are prone to leaving a film on their lenses, due to the use of hand creams, body lotions, cream-based foundations and oil-based make-up.
Washing of hands before the insertion of lenses, and following the proper instruction of contact lens use - appropriate length of wear and cleaning of lenses - is very important. An alternative to contact lenses would be vision correction through LASIK.
Hormone changes
Changes in the hormonal levels in the body, due to possible side effects from birth control pills or hormonal changes during menstrual cycles and menopause can sometimes also cause physiological and visual changes to the eyes of women.
The fact that women tend to live longer than men also puts them at a greater risk for age-related diseases. As we get older, most of us experience a change in our vision quality. For some it means not being able to see far away and for others it means more difficulty in reading words close up. It can be quite frustrating, particularly if you are not aware and prepared for these changes.
article source:The woman's guide to eye care
Women in general tend to be more prone to getting eye allergies, irritations and eye infections, including Conjunctivitis, or Red Eye.
A very common reason for this is the use of cosmetics.
Particles from cosmetics such as eyeliner and mascara can sometimes trigger an infection, particularly when there is a surface abrasion on the cornea, causing redness, irritation and eye swellings.
Another cause of infection is bacteria build up in cosmetic tools, so it is important to cultivate the good habit of cleaning make-up brushes regularly and discarding cosmetics that have expired to avoid eye infections or allergic reactions.
"Over-wearing" and improper contact lens handling is quite a common problem among women, who are prone to leaving a film on their lenses, due to the use of hand creams, body lotions, cream-based foundations and oil-based make-up.
Washing of hands before the insertion of lenses, and following the proper instruction of contact lens use - appropriate length of wear and cleaning of lenses - is very important. An alternative to contact lenses would be vision correction through LASIK.
Hormone changes
Changes in the hormonal levels in the body, due to possible side effects from birth control pills or hormonal changes during menstrual cycles and menopause can sometimes also cause physiological and visual changes to the eyes of women.
The fact that women tend to live longer than men also puts them at a greater risk for age-related diseases. As we get older, most of us experience a change in our vision quality. For some it means not being able to see far away and for others it means more difficulty in reading words close up. It can be quite frustrating, particularly if you are not aware and prepared for these changes.
article source:The woman's guide to eye care
Corinthian Colleges Signs Partnership With Massage Envy Clinics
Corinthian Colleges, Inc. (CCi), parent company of Everest Universities, Everest Colleges and Everest Institutes, has signed an agreement with Massage Envy to offer conditional employment to Everest Massage Therapy graduates in the chain's clinics. Under the terms of the agreement, Everest will incorporate Massage Envy's requirements into the curriculum, and in turn, Massage Envy will grant interviews to all Everest Massage Therapy graduates who apply to work in one of the clinics.
"With more than 600 clinics in 42 states, this is clearly an exciting opportunity for our schools and students," said Wendy Cullen, CCi's VP of employer development. "Not only is joining Massage Envy a great opportunity for our graduates, Massage Envy is also a committed partner. They sit on our national advisory council and are frequent participants in community events such as campus job fairs. We are proud of our most important contribution to the partnership: well-trained, professional massage therapists whose skills underscore the quality of our programs."
"We, at Massage Envy, have always been impressed with the quality of graduates from Everest Colleges," says CG Funk, Massage Envy's vice president of industry relations and product development.
Funk was instrumental in working with CCi's corporate massage education team to enhance current curriculum which meets Massage Envy's strict guidelines for massage therapist staff members. Massage Envy currently employs 16,000 therapists and projects hiring over 2,000 shanghai massage
therapists in 2010.
According to Cullen, similar partnerships and strategic alliances will be added to CCi's portfolio in the future. "We are well-positioned to partner on a national level. Over the past few years we have standardized our curriculum and policies and we are poised to leverage our size and scope to the advantage of our students, business partners and company."
About Massage Envy
Massage Envy Limited, LLC, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is the leading provider of therapeutic massage in the United States. The national franchise of massage clinics is dedicated to providing professional and affordable therapeutic massage services to consumers with busy lifestyles at convenient times and locations. Founded in 2002, Massage Envy has opened more than 600 clinics with new locations opening every month in 42 states.
"With more than 600 clinics in 42 states, this is clearly an exciting opportunity for our schools and students," said Wendy Cullen, CCi's VP of employer development. "Not only is joining Massage Envy a great opportunity for our graduates, Massage Envy is also a committed partner. They sit on our national advisory council and are frequent participants in community events such as campus job fairs. We are proud of our most important contribution to the partnership: well-trained, professional massage therapists whose skills underscore the quality of our programs."
"We, at Massage Envy, have always been impressed with the quality of graduates from Everest Colleges," says CG Funk, Massage Envy's vice president of industry relations and product development.
Funk was instrumental in working with CCi's corporate massage education team to enhance current curriculum which meets Massage Envy's strict guidelines for massage therapist staff members. Massage Envy currently employs 16,000 therapists and projects hiring over 2,000 shanghai massage
therapists in 2010.
According to Cullen, similar partnerships and strategic alliances will be added to CCi's portfolio in the future. "We are well-positioned to partner on a national level. Over the past few years we have standardized our curriculum and policies and we are poised to leverage our size and scope to the advantage of our students, business partners and company."
About Massage Envy
Massage Envy Limited, LLC, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is the leading provider of therapeutic massage in the United States. The national franchise of massage clinics is dedicated to providing professional and affordable therapeutic massage services to consumers with busy lifestyles at convenient times and locations. Founded in 2002, Massage Envy has opened more than 600 clinics with new locations opening every month in 42 states.
2009年12月20日星期日
Massage centres raided
They confidently give out advertisements with their contact numbers and appear even more ‘professional’ when they select their location to carryout the illegal trade.
Though names like ‘Monalisa Xellent body massage centre’, or ‘Rainbow beauty spa massage centre’ may not raise doubts, for the policemen, it is the sudden and large number of ‘clients’ frequenting these places which raises suspicion and ends up in a raid.
‘Massage centres’ are back in news and yet again for the wrong reasons. The Task Force sleuths on Thursday raided Monalisa Xellent body massage centre and Rainbow beauty spa massage centre and arrested its organisers besides rescuing sex workers.
According to Task Force DCP V B Kamalasan Reddy, Monalisa massage centre was being run from Priya apartments, located in a by-lane on Raj Bhavan road.
Though names like ‘Monalisa Xellent body massage centre’, or ‘Rainbow beauty spa massage centre’ may not raise doubts, for the policemen, it is the sudden and large number of ‘clients’ frequenting these places which raises suspicion and ends up in a raid.
‘Massage centres’ are back in news and yet again for the wrong reasons. The Task Force sleuths on Thursday raided Monalisa Xellent body massage centre and Rainbow beauty spa massage centre and arrested its organisers besides rescuing sex workers.
According to Task Force DCP V B Kamalasan Reddy, Monalisa massage centre was being run from Priya apartments, located in a by-lane on Raj Bhavan road.
2009年12月17日星期四
Massage therapy standards proposed
Attorney General Alicia Limtiaco yesterday handed over a draft of proposed legislation that would solidify licensure and certification requirements for the practice of beijing massage or massage therapy.
It was given to Sen.Tina Mu?a Barnes and Speaker Judith Won Pat, who are members of a Massage Therapy and Establishment Task Force.
"We went through and looked at the various sections of what the requirements would be for those that are licensed and what the requirements would be for those who would be considered certified," Limtiaco said. "There would be perhaps two levels that relate to their level of training and experience."
Another provision in the draft establishes a "grandfather period" so individuals who currently are practicing are given 90 days to prepare their application, as well as get their supporting documentation, credentials and certificates to the Guam Allied Health Board. The board is the licensing and certification body that will review applications to determine eligibility for licensure and certification, Limtiaco said.
"Right now, they just want to deal with the licensure and certification for these professionals," Won Pat said. "We really want to separate and distinguish massage parlors from massage therapy. Therapy is more professional."
Once the standards are set, the task force will ask the Guam Allied Health Board to update its rules and regulations to fit those standards, Won Pat said. The last step will be to work with Public Works on signs for establishments, she said.
It was given to Sen.Tina Mu?a Barnes and Speaker Judith Won Pat, who are members of a Massage Therapy and Establishment Task Force.
"We went through and looked at the various sections of what the requirements would be for those that are licensed and what the requirements would be for those who would be considered certified," Limtiaco said. "There would be perhaps two levels that relate to their level of training and experience."
Another provision in the draft establishes a "grandfather period" so individuals who currently are practicing are given 90 days to prepare their application, as well as get their supporting documentation, credentials and certificates to the Guam Allied Health Board. The board is the licensing and certification body that will review applications to determine eligibility for licensure and certification, Limtiaco said.
"Right now, they just want to deal with the licensure and certification for these professionals," Won Pat said. "We really want to separate and distinguish massage parlors from massage therapy. Therapy is more professional."
Once the standards are set, the task force will ask the Guam Allied Health Board to update its rules and regulations to fit those standards, Won Pat said. The last step will be to work with Public Works on signs for establishments, she said.
2009年12月16日星期三
Stressed out? Try massage or yoga
To relieve holiday stress, many are turning to massage or yoga to relieve the tension of the season.
Clare Kagan of NorthPointe Spa in Roscoe, said her clients often share their worries about potential job losses, the costs of holiday gifts and their struggles to care for sick relatives.
Instead of spending money on holiday trips, Kagan said many of them are turning to full body treatments as a way to relieve stress.
“It’s a nice present to yourself and a nice gift to give someone else,” Kagan said.
Massage can be very effective in reducing stress, lowering blood pressure and reducing stress in muscles.
“It can even relieve tension headaches,” Kagan said. “It’s really important for people who work on computers.”
There are many treatments to choose from, but one of the most beijing massage offered is the NorthPointe signature massage. The 75-minute massage relieves chronic neck and shoulder tension, where stress tends to accumulate. It includes warm sedona red mud application to the upper back, neck and shoulders and concludes with a warm scrub of the feet for softening. Peppermint cream is finally applied to stimulate the feet, with the goal of improving whole body health.
Other massages at NorthPointe include deep tissue, therapeutic, aromatherapy, hot stone, reflexology, lava shell, chair and expectant mother massages.
New massages offered at NorthPointe feature a Thai massage, or a full body treatment that starts at the feet and progresses to the head. The benefits of Thai massage include stress and pain relief, resistance to injury, improved range of motion, toning of internal organs, increased energy and deep relaxation.
There is also Ashiatsu, a full body massage with deep gliding strokes. Ashiatsu increases circulation, and has a longer lasting effect than that of therapeutic massage. During the massage, the muscles are elongated to improve posture. With Ashiatsu no bruising or soreness is experienced after treatment.
The cranial sacral therapy is a 30 minute treatment which can help people suffering from migraines, back pain, stress, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, spinal cord injuries and more.
In addition to massages for stress relief, the spa offers manicures, pedicures, facials and body treatments including rubs with a salt glow mixture, moor mud wrap and seaweed infusion.
For those who want to help reduce stress at home, Kagan advises drinking enough water and looking into an exercise such as yoga.
“There’s cardiovascular benefits, but it’s not stressful on the joints as other exercise,” Kagan said.
Nicola May, a yoga instructor at NorthPointe, said yoga is effective because it brings attention to focused breathing.
“It kind of calms the mind, and brings your attention to the present moment so you are not thinking about the rest of the day, such as what you have to get done or other anxieties,” May said. “The focus and concentration is just on yourself.”
Another benefit of yoga is that most anyone can do some of the postures and positions. Because there are so many different variations, it’s adaptable to all age groups. Yoga is also effective in preventing injuries because it stretches the muscles.
“As you get older, the bones and tendons get a little weaker. Stretching continues to prevent injuries, and increases strength and flexibility,” May said.
May advises combining yoga with other exercise.
“I recommend a bit of everything. To keep our hearts and circulatory system functioning properly, some cardiovascular exercise is recommended as well,” May said. “We don’t give ourselves enough time. Take an hour for yourself and relax. We don’t do that often enough.”
Clare Kagan of NorthPointe Spa in Roscoe, said her clients often share their worries about potential job losses, the costs of holiday gifts and their struggles to care for sick relatives.
Instead of spending money on holiday trips, Kagan said many of them are turning to full body treatments as a way to relieve stress.
“It’s a nice present to yourself and a nice gift to give someone else,” Kagan said.
Massage can be very effective in reducing stress, lowering blood pressure and reducing stress in muscles.
“It can even relieve tension headaches,” Kagan said. “It’s really important for people who work on computers.”
There are many treatments to choose from, but one of the most beijing massage offered is the NorthPointe signature massage. The 75-minute massage relieves chronic neck and shoulder tension, where stress tends to accumulate. It includes warm sedona red mud application to the upper back, neck and shoulders and concludes with a warm scrub of the feet for softening. Peppermint cream is finally applied to stimulate the feet, with the goal of improving whole body health.
Other massages at NorthPointe include deep tissue, therapeutic, aromatherapy, hot stone, reflexology, lava shell, chair and expectant mother massages.
New massages offered at NorthPointe feature a Thai massage, or a full body treatment that starts at the feet and progresses to the head. The benefits of Thai massage include stress and pain relief, resistance to injury, improved range of motion, toning of internal organs, increased energy and deep relaxation.
There is also Ashiatsu, a full body massage with deep gliding strokes. Ashiatsu increases circulation, and has a longer lasting effect than that of therapeutic massage. During the massage, the muscles are elongated to improve posture. With Ashiatsu no bruising or soreness is experienced after treatment.
The cranial sacral therapy is a 30 minute treatment which can help people suffering from migraines, back pain, stress, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, spinal cord injuries and more.
In addition to massages for stress relief, the spa offers manicures, pedicures, facials and body treatments including rubs with a salt glow mixture, moor mud wrap and seaweed infusion.
For those who want to help reduce stress at home, Kagan advises drinking enough water and looking into an exercise such as yoga.
“There’s cardiovascular benefits, but it’s not stressful on the joints as other exercise,” Kagan said.
Nicola May, a yoga instructor at NorthPointe, said yoga is effective because it brings attention to focused breathing.
“It kind of calms the mind, and brings your attention to the present moment so you are not thinking about the rest of the day, such as what you have to get done or other anxieties,” May said. “The focus and concentration is just on yourself.”
Another benefit of yoga is that most anyone can do some of the postures and positions. Because there are so many different variations, it’s adaptable to all age groups. Yoga is also effective in preventing injuries because it stretches the muscles.
“As you get older, the bones and tendons get a little weaker. Stretching continues to prevent injuries, and increases strength and flexibility,” May said.
May advises combining yoga with other exercise.
“I recommend a bit of everything. To keep our hearts and circulatory system functioning properly, some cardiovascular exercise is recommended as well,” May said. “We don’t give ourselves enough time. Take an hour for yourself and relax. We don’t do that often enough.”
2009年12月15日星期二
Massage fundraiser helps chimpanzees
A massage school on Saturday held a massage-a-thon to benefit as many as 200 government-owned chimpanzees who are still caged at the Alamogordo Primate Facility.
The Merry Massage-a-thon was held Saturday by the Crystal Mountain School of Therapeutic Massage.
Organizer Holly Andreas said the goal of the program is to end medical testing on the chimps and provide them with the retirement they deserve.
"I worked with these very chimps 20 years ago, and I've been looking for them since," she said. "I found them and I want to help them."
The Merry Massage-a-thon was held Saturday by the Crystal Mountain School of Therapeutic Massage.
Organizer Holly Andreas said the goal of the program is to end medical testing on the chimps and provide them with the retirement they deserve.
"I worked with these very chimps 20 years ago, and I've been looking for them since," she said. "I found them and I want to help them."
2009年12月14日星期一
Massage helps students
HUNDREDS of students sought expert help to relieve physical and mental anxiety during the school and university exam period.
Indooroopilly’s Rainesforest Massage and Day Spa owner Heather Raines said stressed out students were increasingly turning to massage and day spas in peak exam seasons.
“We’re seeing students hitting the books hard and experiencing major stress as a result, which can present itself in back and neck tension, headaches and lack of energy and concentration,” Ms Raines said.
“We’ve had a high number of students visit in recent weeks, seeing us as a preventative massage and relaxation destination and our therapists as stress relief managers.”
The Gap State High School’s Renee Heyer, 17, said she found massage therapy an excellent way of “increasing energy and aiding concentration”, particularly since treatments could be subsidised by student discount offers and medical rebates.
For more massage informations in http://www.prettyshanghai.net/
2009年12月13日星期日
Massage is mission, message for new West Salem business
Carla Kiesau, owner of Ministry Massage, believes strongly in empowering people — including herself — to take better care of their bodies.
“I get one massage a week myself,” Kiesau said. “For the past five years I’ve been living simply and eating healthy and I feel great!”
Kiesau said the name of her business does not have any particular religious significance —it’s more about how her career fits in with the sense of mission she has about her work.
“It’s just that I feel like I’m a minister,” she said. “To me it means caring for people and helping them to take care of themselves.”
The new business — only about a month old — is in the same building on Leonard Street as the Northwoods Martial Arts studio.
“I do deep tissue work, Swedish massage and trigger point therapy,” Kiesau said. She’s lived in West Salem for about a year and the opportunity to establish her own business came about after a conversation with George Baldwin, owner of Northwoods Martial Arts.
“She asked me whether I’d ever thought of offering massage here,” recalled Baldwin. “In ancient times, martial arts masters were also involved in things like healing and meditation, so I thought it would be a good fit.”
Kiesau, who also teaches yoga three days a week at the nearby Joy Works Dance Studio, is renting a room with a massage table from Baldwin and so far, things are going well.
“A lot of clients come in by word of mouth, plus others have followed me from my other jobs,” Kiesau said.
She’s also worked out an arrangement with chiropractor Denise Jones who owns Jones Chiropractic just across the street.
“She’ll be referring patients who need massage to me,” Kiesau said.
Although Ministry Massage hasn’t had its grand opening yet, Kiesau said she will likely hold one next month. In the meantime, massages are available every day by appointment, with walk-ins accepted on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m and on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
A 1995 Onalaska High School graduate, Kiesau earned a degree in hospitality management from Western Technical College in 1997. Since then, she’s had plenty of management experience in Texas — where she lived for five years — as well as in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
After moving back to Wisconsin, Kiesau worked as the manager of the Panera restaurant in Onalaska and was subsequently sent to Rochester to open a new Panera branch there.
It was while she was in Rochester that Kiesau began studying massage, first with the Sister Rosalind Gefre School of Professional Massage and then with Globe University because it allowed more flexibility in her schedule.
What does she like most about being a massage therapist? “I guess it’s that I get to show clients how to take care of themselves,” Kiesau said. “Our lives are stressful enough as it is, so just knowing I helped someone is a huge reward for me.”
In order to increase her exposure to the community, Kiesau has been doing chair massages at La Scher’s Bistro just down the street, and she has been scouting for other places to do chair massages.
“Our customers have been raving about her,” said Eric Jansky of La Scher’s, “and I’ve gotten massages from her, too. She’s good — I feel the effects for days afterward.”
“I get one massage a week myself,” Kiesau said. “For the past five years I’ve been living simply and eating healthy and I feel great!”
Kiesau said the name of her business does not have any particular religious significance —it’s more about how her career fits in with the sense of mission she has about her work.
“It’s just that I feel like I’m a minister,” she said. “To me it means caring for people and helping them to take care of themselves.”
The new business — only about a month old — is in the same building on Leonard Street as the Northwoods Martial Arts studio.
“I do deep tissue work, Swedish massage and trigger point therapy,” Kiesau said. She’s lived in West Salem for about a year and the opportunity to establish her own business came about after a conversation with George Baldwin, owner of Northwoods Martial Arts.
“She asked me whether I’d ever thought of offering massage here,” recalled Baldwin. “In ancient times, martial arts masters were also involved in things like healing and meditation, so I thought it would be a good fit.”
Kiesau, who also teaches yoga three days a week at the nearby Joy Works Dance Studio, is renting a room with a massage table from Baldwin and so far, things are going well.
“A lot of clients come in by word of mouth, plus others have followed me from my other jobs,” Kiesau said.
She’s also worked out an arrangement with chiropractor Denise Jones who owns Jones Chiropractic just across the street.
“She’ll be referring patients who need massage to me,” Kiesau said.
Although Ministry Massage hasn’t had its grand opening yet, Kiesau said she will likely hold one next month. In the meantime, massages are available every day by appointment, with walk-ins accepted on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m and on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
A 1995 Onalaska High School graduate, Kiesau earned a degree in hospitality management from Western Technical College in 1997. Since then, she’s had plenty of management experience in Texas — where she lived for five years — as well as in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
After moving back to Wisconsin, Kiesau worked as the manager of the Panera restaurant in Onalaska and was subsequently sent to Rochester to open a new Panera branch there.
It was while she was in Rochester that Kiesau began studying massage, first with the Sister Rosalind Gefre School of Professional Massage and then with Globe University because it allowed more flexibility in her schedule.
What does she like most about being a massage therapist? “I guess it’s that I get to show clients how to take care of themselves,” Kiesau said. “Our lives are stressful enough as it is, so just knowing I helped someone is a huge reward for me.”
In order to increase her exposure to the community, Kiesau has been doing chair massages at La Scher’s Bistro just down the street, and she has been scouting for other places to do chair massages.
“Our customers have been raving about her,” said Eric Jansky of La Scher’s, “and I’ve gotten massages from her, too. She’s good — I feel the effects for days afterward.”
2009年12月10日星期四
Robots massage away pain
There are many injuries that can contribute to requiring physical therapy.
These can include chronic pains, ACL tears, carpal tunnel syndrome, lower back pain, sprains/strains, tennis elbow, arthritis, scoliosis and many more. A popular injury requiring physical therapy is an injury dealing with the spinal cord. According to the Spinal Cord Organization, a spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that results in loss of mobility and feeling or function of the body. SCIs are not the same as back injuries, like pinched nerves or ruptured disks. Some injury risk factors include: limited flexibility, muscle weakness, muscle imbalance, muscle fatigue, joint laxity, leg length discrepancy, and being overweight.
TREATMENTS FOR INJURIES: R.I.C.E. is a popular acronym to follow in the treatment of acute injuries such as a sprain, a strain, a muscle pull, or a muscle tear, according to the Medical Review Board. Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation are the key treatments in the R.I.C.E protocol. These four immediate aids can limit swelling, relieve pain and protect injured tissues. The National Library of Medicine also suggests taking an anti-inflammatory medication or Tylenol to reduce pain and swelling in the first few days of the injury. If the injury is not acute, the Sports Injury Clinic suggests that the need for surgery, rehabilitation, a sports massage, stretching exercises or strengthening exercises may be needed.
ROBOTIC THERAPY: Robotic therapy is a non-invasive therapy designed to make corrections to areas of the body in pain. The therapy is used with an engineering approach by the Meilus Muscular Therapy & Sports Company. A patient's body is analyzed to determine the source of pain before starting therapy with the robot. Once the pain is identified, a robot uses a manipulation wand to apply gentle pressure to the connective tissue that is causing the pain and returns the muscle to its normal state by releasing waste build-up. When the build-up is gone, the tissue is softened, and relief of the pressure is near along with the restoration of normal blood flow to promote further healing. This robot is used to help with back pain, spinal cord injuries, sciatica, headaches, carpal tunnel, bursitis, tennis elbow, sprains and strains, and arthritis, among other ailments.
2009年12月9日星期三
VTouchMassage to Launch 2010 Seminar Series for Licensed Massage Therapists
Vincent Monforte is the founder of VTouch Massage and the VTouch Method. The Ft. Lauderdale-based licensed massage therapist recently announced that in 2010 he will be launching a seminar series to teach other licensed massage therapists worldwide the VTouch Method.
Monforte's philosophy is about the cumulative and consistent possibilities of bodywork. Like rolfing, clients with the best results schedule ten sessions as a regular and preventative course of treatment, rather than merely reacting when something is hurting. He noted, "The VTouch Healing Process provides sustaining improvements for clients around the world. Developing a curriculum to share these methodologies is a thrilling component to sharing the unique VTouch Massage.
Unlike beijing massage techniques with a routine or patterned body work style, VTouchMassage, ensures that the energetic issues, conflicts, blockages, are addressed in real-time with concentration, consideration, and compassion. The result is a unique experience during each session based on the client's conditions. Monforte noted, "These seminars will teach that treating someone a hundred times will never result in two identical sessions. It's really about "listening" with my hands. They are informed what requires attention, care, and healing."
Monforte's practice, VTouchMassage, has offices located at 120 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Suite 102 in Wilton Manors (just south of Andrews on the south side of the road.) Considered one of the most popular massage therapists in North America, Monforte will announce more about the 2010 seminar series in January. VTouchMassage appointments are made by calling 954-303-7069. An e-mail would work for those visiting from another state. Mr. Monforte does get booked very quickly. Booking in Advance for out of state client's is highly suggested.
Here are some of the methods he uses; Swedish, Therapeutic, Deep Tissue, Reiki, Reflexology, Hot Stone, Basic Myofasical Techniques, Sports and medical.
Monforte's philosophy is about the cumulative and consistent possibilities of bodywork. Like rolfing, clients with the best results schedule ten sessions as a regular and preventative course of treatment, rather than merely reacting when something is hurting. He noted, "The VTouch Healing Process provides sustaining improvements for clients around the world. Developing a curriculum to share these methodologies is a thrilling component to sharing the unique VTouch Massage.
Unlike beijing massage techniques with a routine or patterned body work style, VTouchMassage, ensures that the energetic issues, conflicts, blockages, are addressed in real-time with concentration, consideration, and compassion. The result is a unique experience during each session based on the client's conditions. Monforte noted, "These seminars will teach that treating someone a hundred times will never result in two identical sessions. It's really about "listening" with my hands. They are informed what requires attention, care, and healing."
Monforte's practice, VTouchMassage, has offices located at 120 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Suite 102 in Wilton Manors (just south of Andrews on the south side of the road.) Considered one of the most popular massage therapists in North America, Monforte will announce more about the 2010 seminar series in January. VTouchMassage appointments are made by calling 954-303-7069. An e-mail would work for those visiting from another state. Mr. Monforte does get booked very quickly. Booking in Advance for out of state client's is highly suggested.
Here are some of the methods he uses; Swedish, Therapeutic, Deep Tissue, Reiki, Reflexology, Hot Stone, Basic Myofasical Techniques, Sports and medical.
2009年12月8日星期二
Elderly leg cramps at nightElderly leg cramps at night
Q. I am 74 years old. A few years ago, I started to occasionally experience very painful leg cramps while sleeping at night. Lately, the night cramps have come more often. When they occur I wake up tired and with sore leg muscles the next morning. What causes these cramps? Is there anything I can do to stop or prevent them?
A. You are suffering from nocturnal leg cramps, a condition that is characterized by painful and involuntary spasms of the calf, thigh and small muscles of the foot at rest, usually at night, while asleep, when the normal muscle reflex is often exaggerated. The muscle cramps usually last for a few seconds to several minutes and subside either spontaneously or when the involved muscles are stretched.
Nocturnal leg cramps is, evidently, a benign condition that does not lead to any serious complication but aside from being painful, the muscle spasms disrupt sleep and leave the person sore and tired upon waking up in the morning.
Nocturnal leg cramps are particularly common among the elderly. In fact, about a third of people over 60 years of age and half of people over 80 suffer from this condition. Of these, forty percent experience more than three attacks per week.
Many forms of muscle cramps can be traced to certain factors such as muscle fatigue, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance (sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium, in particular) and the use of certain drugs (diuretics, for example), but the exact cause of nocturnal leg cramps is unknown that is why the condition is otherwise called idiopathic leg cramps. At any rate, just to be sure there is no underlying cause for your cramps, consult your doctor so your blood electrolytes are checked and your medications reviewed (i.e., if you are taking medications for a chronic condition like diabetes or hypertension).
During an acute attack, passive stretching of the calf muscles, which can be done by grasping the toes and pulling them toward the body, and massage of the involved muscles are usually enough to relieve the spasm and pain.
Preventive measures against leg cramps at night include mechanical and pharmacological measures.
Many experts recommend muscle stretching exercises 3x a day plus calf-muscle stretching with wall push-ups (i.e., leaning against the wall and stepping forward, leaving the back foot flat on the floor) at bedtime. Likewise, warm compress could be applied over the commonly-affected muscles for 10-20 minutes before going to bed.
If the attacks of leg cramps are frequent, pharmacological treatment may be instituted, but this has to be under the supervision of a physician. The only drug that is effective in the prevention of nocturnal leg cramps is quinine sulfate, a drug which, strangely enough, is an anti-malarial. The efficacy of quinine sulfate in preventing leg cramps at night has been supported by many well-designed studies, but its use is controversial. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not allow over the counter sale of quinine-based products for leg cramps because of potentially fatal hypersensitivity reaction and thrombocytopenia (a blood disorder). Other adverse effects of quinine include headache, nausea, disturbed vision, chest pain, asthma and ringing of ears. In pregnant women, it can cause miscarriages and birth defects.
Incidentally, quinine is found in low concentrations in tonic water (one-tenth of prescription dose). As a home remedy, you can try drinking a can of tonic water at night for a few days and see if it helps.
A. You are suffering from nocturnal leg cramps, a condition that is characterized by painful and involuntary spasms of the calf, thigh and small muscles of the foot at rest, usually at night, while asleep, when the normal muscle reflex is often exaggerated. The muscle cramps usually last for a few seconds to several minutes and subside either spontaneously or when the involved muscles are stretched.
Nocturnal leg cramps is, evidently, a benign condition that does not lead to any serious complication but aside from being painful, the muscle spasms disrupt sleep and leave the person sore and tired upon waking up in the morning.
Nocturnal leg cramps are particularly common among the elderly. In fact, about a third of people over 60 years of age and half of people over 80 suffer from this condition. Of these, forty percent experience more than three attacks per week.
Many forms of muscle cramps can be traced to certain factors such as muscle fatigue, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance (sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium, in particular) and the use of certain drugs (diuretics, for example), but the exact cause of nocturnal leg cramps is unknown that is why the condition is otherwise called idiopathic leg cramps. At any rate, just to be sure there is no underlying cause for your cramps, consult your doctor so your blood electrolytes are checked and your medications reviewed (i.e., if you are taking medications for a chronic condition like diabetes or hypertension).
During an acute attack, passive stretching of the calf muscles, which can be done by grasping the toes and pulling them toward the body, and massage of the involved muscles are usually enough to relieve the spasm and pain.
Preventive measures against leg cramps at night include mechanical and pharmacological measures.
Many experts recommend muscle stretching exercises 3x a day plus calf-muscle stretching with wall push-ups (i.e., leaning against the wall and stepping forward, leaving the back foot flat on the floor) at bedtime. Likewise, warm compress could be applied over the commonly-affected muscles for 10-20 minutes before going to bed.
If the attacks of leg cramps are frequent, pharmacological treatment may be instituted, but this has to be under the supervision of a physician. The only drug that is effective in the prevention of nocturnal leg cramps is quinine sulfate, a drug which, strangely enough, is an anti-malarial. The efficacy of quinine sulfate in preventing leg cramps at night has been supported by many well-designed studies, but its use is controversial. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not allow over the counter sale of quinine-based products for leg cramps because of potentially fatal hypersensitivity reaction and thrombocytopenia (a blood disorder). Other adverse effects of quinine include headache, nausea, disturbed vision, chest pain, asthma and ringing of ears. In pregnant women, it can cause miscarriages and birth defects.
Incidentally, quinine is found in low concentrations in tonic water (one-tenth of prescription dose). As a home remedy, you can try drinking a can of tonic water at night for a few days and see if it helps.
2009年12月7日星期一
Becoming Your Own Massage Therapist
AS a former cross-country runner for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where a free massage was part of an athlete’s weekly schedule, Briana Boehmer remembers the benefits of having qualified hands work her sore muscles.
Now that she is 30 and starting a corporate wellness business with her husband, Mrs. Boehmer no longer enjoys such a perk, so she massages her muscles herself. She works out about seven hours a week, training for triathlons and duathlons, and begins and ends each session by kneading her back and legs on a foam roller, which she calls her “best friend.”
“It’s like getting a massage without having to pay $85 an hour,” she said. “I can’t afford the real thing right now.”
Devices for self-massage have become more common as more people compete in endurance sports and, more recently, as the recession has made professional rubdowns look prohibitively expensive. Trainers usually recommend a massage every week or every other week for people who are training for a marathon or triathlon, but the costs do add up: according to the shanghai massage Therapy Association, the average price of a massage is $63 an hour.
Though a massage may sound like a luxury, it can become a necessity as part of a training regimen. When the same muscles are forced to do the same motions over and over, they become tight and injury-prone.
For instance, “riding on aerobars on the bike sets up a huge muscle imbalance in the upper back and shoulders,” said Tim Crowley, a triathlon coach in Marlboro, Mass. “Hip flexors, hamstrings and glutes become extremely tight and immobile from running.”
While it’s hard to say how many people do self-massage, many athletes swear by it, and a growing range of products and how-to videos is available in stores and online. A foam roller, which costs about $25, is just one of a family of products, manufactured or improvised, that can relieve tight muscles.
“In the late ’90s, you could only find foam rollers through physical therapy catalogs,” said Keats Snideman, a massage therapist and conditioning coach in Tempe, Ariz., who produced a DVD about self-massage. “Now you can buy them anywhere, and exercises with them are all over YouTube.”
In addition to the many name-brand products that are sold specifically as massage aids, old-fashioned household objects will do, too. Most small balls, including golf, tennis, baseball and lacrosse balls,beijing massage can unkink sore muscles.
Rich Poley, author of the book “Self-Massage for Athletes,” favors using your own hands. But he is also a fan of the Knobble II, a mushroom-shaped device that can be used to press on muscles at specific trigger points to try to break up knots, and the Thera Cane, a hook that can be used to reach points on the back.
For all its advantages, self-massage has its limitations. Cassidy Phillips, founder of Trigger Point Performance Therapy, considers it the equivalent of oral hygiene. “You brush away some plaque yourself,” he said, “but you still go to the dentist for a thorough cleaning.” His company, based in Austin, Tex., sells self-massage tools for athletes.
Clearly, a massage from a trained therapist can be more effective — and relaxing — than a self-administered massage. A therapist also has a comprehensive knowledge of anatomy and can help with injuries, like muscle strains, that may not respond to self-massage.
“A foam roller can’t alleviate deep trigger points the way an experienced thumb or knuckle can,” said Collette Glass, a sports massage therapist in Atlanta.
Yet Mrs. Glass, whose livelihood depends on athletes who need her care, is a proponent of self-massage. She and her husband, Dr. Josh Glass, a sports chiropractor, hold self-care seminars in the Atlanta area several times a year. “The message we stress through the whole demonstration,” she said, “is that self-massage keeps you out of our offices.”
Any kind of massage —the professional type and the D.I.Y. — can stimulate blood flow and break up scar tissue, thus reducing an athlete’s risk of injury, Mrs. Glass said. “In massage, shortened, overworked muscles get flushed out and return to a normal length, which helps them properly recover,” she said. When she was training for Ironman triathlons in 2006 and 2008, she said, she used a roller every day to soothe her iliotibial bands (tendons that run along the outside of the upper leg).
Jenni Gaertner, a physical therapist and competitive cyclist in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, also advocates a combination approach. “I go to a massage therapist only during racing season, because it can be so expensive,” she said. “But I use a foam roller year-round and prescribe it to patients and teammates.”
ABBY RUBY, an athlete and coach from Manitou Springs, Colo., massaged her muscles daily while training for a 100-mile trail run in Leadville, Colo., this year. She doesn’t leave home without her tools: half of a foam roller and a small ball from Trigger Point Performance Therapy. “I sit on the ball on flights to release my piriformis,” she said, referring to a muscle deep within the hip and buttock region.
Convenience and affordability are the selling points for Ms. Ruby. “When I need a massage, I need it now, not next Wednesday at 3 p.m.,” she said.
Now that she is 30 and starting a corporate wellness business with her husband, Mrs. Boehmer no longer enjoys such a perk, so she massages her muscles herself. She works out about seven hours a week, training for triathlons and duathlons, and begins and ends each session by kneading her back and legs on a foam roller, which she calls her “best friend.”
“It’s like getting a massage without having to pay $85 an hour,” she said. “I can’t afford the real thing right now.”
Devices for self-massage have become more common as more people compete in endurance sports and, more recently, as the recession has made professional rubdowns look prohibitively expensive. Trainers usually recommend a massage every week or every other week for people who are training for a marathon or triathlon, but the costs do add up: according to the shanghai massage Therapy Association, the average price of a massage is $63 an hour.
Though a massage may sound like a luxury, it can become a necessity as part of a training regimen. When the same muscles are forced to do the same motions over and over, they become tight and injury-prone.
For instance, “riding on aerobars on the bike sets up a huge muscle imbalance in the upper back and shoulders,” said Tim Crowley, a triathlon coach in Marlboro, Mass. “Hip flexors, hamstrings and glutes become extremely tight and immobile from running.”
While it’s hard to say how many people do self-massage, many athletes swear by it, and a growing range of products and how-to videos is available in stores and online. A foam roller, which costs about $25, is just one of a family of products, manufactured or improvised, that can relieve tight muscles.
“In the late ’90s, you could only find foam rollers through physical therapy catalogs,” said Keats Snideman, a massage therapist and conditioning coach in Tempe, Ariz., who produced a DVD about self-massage. “Now you can buy them anywhere, and exercises with them are all over YouTube.”
In addition to the many name-brand products that are sold specifically as massage aids, old-fashioned household objects will do, too. Most small balls, including golf, tennis, baseball and lacrosse balls,beijing massage can unkink sore muscles.
Rich Poley, author of the book “Self-Massage for Athletes,” favors using your own hands. But he is also a fan of the Knobble II, a mushroom-shaped device that can be used to press on muscles at specific trigger points to try to break up knots, and the Thera Cane, a hook that can be used to reach points on the back.
For all its advantages, self-massage has its limitations. Cassidy Phillips, founder of Trigger Point Performance Therapy, considers it the equivalent of oral hygiene. “You brush away some plaque yourself,” he said, “but you still go to the dentist for a thorough cleaning.” His company, based in Austin, Tex., sells self-massage tools for athletes.
Clearly, a massage from a trained therapist can be more effective — and relaxing — than a self-administered massage. A therapist also has a comprehensive knowledge of anatomy and can help with injuries, like muscle strains, that may not respond to self-massage.
“A foam roller can’t alleviate deep trigger points the way an experienced thumb or knuckle can,” said Collette Glass, a sports massage therapist in Atlanta.
Yet Mrs. Glass, whose livelihood depends on athletes who need her care, is a proponent of self-massage. She and her husband, Dr. Josh Glass, a sports chiropractor, hold self-care seminars in the Atlanta area several times a year. “The message we stress through the whole demonstration,” she said, “is that self-massage keeps you out of our offices.”
Any kind of massage —the professional type and the D.I.Y. — can stimulate blood flow and break up scar tissue, thus reducing an athlete’s risk of injury, Mrs. Glass said. “In massage, shortened, overworked muscles get flushed out and return to a normal length, which helps them properly recover,” she said. When she was training for Ironman triathlons in 2006 and 2008, she said, she used a roller every day to soothe her iliotibial bands (tendons that run along the outside of the upper leg).
Jenni Gaertner, a physical therapist and competitive cyclist in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, also advocates a combination approach. “I go to a massage therapist only during racing season, because it can be so expensive,” she said. “But I use a foam roller year-round and prescribe it to patients and teammates.”
ABBY RUBY, an athlete and coach from Manitou Springs, Colo., massaged her muscles daily while training for a 100-mile trail run in Leadville, Colo., this year. She doesn’t leave home without her tools: half of a foam roller and a small ball from Trigger Point Performance Therapy. “I sit on the ball on flights to release my piriformis,” she said, referring to a muscle deep within the hip and buttock region.
Convenience and affordability are the selling points for Ms. Ruby. “When I need a massage, I need it now, not next Wednesday at 3 p.m.,” she said.
2009年12月6日星期日
Massage parlour targeted in petrol bomb attack
A massage parlour called “Nature and Health Care” near H. Tuscaloosa in Malé was the target of a petrol bomb on Friday morning.According to the Maldives Police Service, a petrol bomb had been thrown against the door of the massage parlour on the first floor of H. Dhakadhaamaage causing damage to the front door and shattering the glass on two other doors inside. The fire caused damaged to some of the furniture and equipment inside the building too, Police said.
According to Haveeru sources, the place was registered as a clinic that provided beauty and health care services but also hired expatriate women to offer massage services.
Police said that no one was injured in the attack and that the investigation was still ongoing. No arrests have been made in connection to the attack, a Police official said.
Massage parlours had been very popular in Malé some years back. The Government had eventually closed down all the massage parlours but they had promptly sprung up under the guise of registered ‘health clinics’.
2009年12月3日星期四
Prosecutor says massage case charges planned
A prosecutor said this week the District Attorney’s Office will go forward with six criminal counts against a suspended beijing massage therapist accused of improperly fondling six of his female clients earlier this year.
Assistant District Attorney Ben Johnson said Tuesday that prosecutors plan to pursue the charges against the Gonzales man despite a ruling last month that there was probable cause for only two of the six counts.
The 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, through a bill of information, charged Jason Hood, 34, on Aug. 31 with one count of sexual battery and five counts of prohibited massage/sexual conduct.
The charges arise from incidents in May and July that some of Hood’s clients at Elegant Touch Nail Salon and Spa in Gonzales alleged after an investigation by city police, police have said.
Judge Ralph Tureau of the 23rd Judicial District — which encompasses Ascension, Assumption and St. James parishes — ruled after a Nov. 9 preliminary exam that there was probable cause for the sexual battery count and for only one of the five sexual conduct counts.
In criminal cases, preliminary exams determine whether law enforcement has probable cause to arrest and hold a person on the charges brought. The standard is less than what is needed for a conviction.
During the preliminary exam, Public Defender Jarrett Ambeau questioned Gonzales Police Sgt. Steve Nethken about the alleged victims’ statements and whether what happened was actually criminal in nature.
Johnson, the prosecutor, said Tuesday that investigators have more evidence against Hood than was presented during that preliminary exam and they plan to conduct more-extensive interviews with the alleged victims.
Ambeau declined comment Tuesday on Johnson’s decision.
Hood, whom Gonzales police arrested July 16, has pleaded innocent to the charges and has been out on a $60,000 bond since July 17, court minutes and parish jail booking records show.
Meanwhile, the Louisiana State Board of Massage Therapy, which oversees licensed massage therapists, brought seven civil charges against Hood in October, according to a board letter.
In a Nov. 13 hearing, the board suspended Hood’s license pending the outcome of his criminal charges, Donnie Floyd, board counsel, said in an early November interview.
The board heard from one of the alleged victims in Hood’s criminal case, Floyd said, but Hood was not present. The hearings are closed to the public, Floyd said.
Assistant District Attorney Ben Johnson said Tuesday that prosecutors plan to pursue the charges against the Gonzales man despite a ruling last month that there was probable cause for only two of the six counts.
The 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, through a bill of information, charged Jason Hood, 34, on Aug. 31 with one count of sexual battery and five counts of prohibited massage/sexual conduct.
The charges arise from incidents in May and July that some of Hood’s clients at Elegant Touch Nail Salon and Spa in Gonzales alleged after an investigation by city police, police have said.
Judge Ralph Tureau of the 23rd Judicial District — which encompasses Ascension, Assumption and St. James parishes — ruled after a Nov. 9 preliminary exam that there was probable cause for the sexual battery count and for only one of the five sexual conduct counts.
In criminal cases, preliminary exams determine whether law enforcement has probable cause to arrest and hold a person on the charges brought. The standard is less than what is needed for a conviction.
During the preliminary exam, Public Defender Jarrett Ambeau questioned Gonzales Police Sgt. Steve Nethken about the alleged victims’ statements and whether what happened was actually criminal in nature.
Johnson, the prosecutor, said Tuesday that investigators have more evidence against Hood than was presented during that preliminary exam and they plan to conduct more-extensive interviews with the alleged victims.
Ambeau declined comment Tuesday on Johnson’s decision.
Hood, whom Gonzales police arrested July 16, has pleaded innocent to the charges and has been out on a $60,000 bond since July 17, court minutes and parish jail booking records show.
Meanwhile, the Louisiana State Board of Massage Therapy, which oversees licensed massage therapists, brought seven civil charges against Hood in October, according to a board letter.
In a Nov. 13 hearing, the board suspended Hood’s license pending the outcome of his criminal charges, Donnie Floyd, board counsel, said in an early November interview.
The board heard from one of the alleged victims in Hood’s criminal case, Floyd said, but Hood was not present. The hearings are closed to the public, Floyd said.
2009年12月2日星期三
Suggestions for Quick Relief
CALVES Standing, place one leg on a low chair or bench. Reach down and place thumb and forefinger of one hand on opposite sides of the top of the heel. Squeeze your fingers and slowly raise your toes, flexing your foot. Lower the foot. Repeat two more times, then move a half-inch up your leg and repeat the sequence, continuing up to the back of the knee. Repeat on other leg.
TIBIALIS POSTERIOR To reach the tibialis posterior — the muscle behind the shin — stay in the same position as for the calf massage. Starting just above the ankle, poke a thumb into the muscle behind the shin and twist your wrist, as if you’re trying to push your thumb under your shin. Flex and lower your foot three times, then move up a half-inch. “It will be most tender about three-quarters of the way up” to the knee, Mrs. Glass said, noting that this is a common place for stress fractures. Repeat on other leg.
QUADRICEPS Sitting so your knees are bent 90 degrees, make a relaxed fist with one hand, and press the knuckles into the muscle above your kneecap on one leg. Slowly straighten the leg. Lower, and repeat three times before moving up in half-inch segments to the top of the leg. If the pressure isn’t enough, apply more with your other hand, or use the heel of a hand. Repeat on other leg.
TIBIALIS POSTERIOR To reach the tibialis posterior — the muscle behind the shin — stay in the same position as for the calf massage. Starting just above the ankle, poke a thumb into the muscle behind the shin and twist your wrist, as if you’re trying to push your thumb under your shin. Flex and lower your foot three times, then move up a half-inch. “It will be most tender about three-quarters of the way up” to the knee, Mrs. Glass said, noting that this is a common place for stress fractures. Repeat on other leg.
QUADRICEPS Sitting so your knees are bent 90 degrees, make a relaxed fist with one hand, and press the knuckles into the muscle above your kneecap on one leg. Slowly straighten the leg. Lower, and repeat three times before moving up in half-inch segments to the top of the leg. If the pressure isn’t enough, apply more with your other hand, or use the heel of a hand. Repeat on other leg.
2009年12月1日星期二
The Health Benefits of Massage
Massages are a wonderful luxury and also one of the few traditionally "guilty pleasures" that aren't so guilty after all. Massages are a great tool for relaxation and stress management, as well as beneficial in treating a host of other problems and giving some unexpected health benefits.
Pain Science has yet to discover exactly how massage helps with pain but somehow it does. Theories surround the fact that massages relax muscles, reduce stress hormones, and stimulate good hormones. Pain due to fibromyalgia, migraines, and back pain respond particularly well to massage therapy.
Self-Esteem Believe it or not regular massages have been shown to raise self-esteem in some people. Direct contact in the form of touch can help a person feel connected and cared for, and as a result have a greater feeling of self-worth and higher self-esteem.
Mood One of the most common benefits of massage is a decrease in stress hormones and an increase in 'feel good' hormones, which means decreased stress, anxiety, and depression, and improved relaxation and overall mood.
Immunity The stress hormone cortisol impairs the body's immune system, but massages reduce cortisol and so give your immunity a boost.
Sleep/Alertness Massage(you can try shanghai massage), depending on what kind, can either stimulate deeper sleep or improved alertness.
2009年11月30日星期一
Is your massage professional helping or hurting?
Massage is a great way to reduce physical pain and the stress of modern life,especially,the beijing massage and shanghai massage in china. The various massage types available provide different benefits, and should be evaluated based on your personal needs. It is important to identify not only the appropriate technique, but also the right practitioner who can help you accomplish these goals.
Swedish, Shiatsu, cranio-sacral and reflexology are just a few types of massage available in today’ s market, each requiring special training and used with specific results in mind. As foreign as some of these names may sound, they can all be categorized into either massage that relaxes or massage that repairs.
A relaxing massage should be pain-free and leave you feeling calm and serene. Due to the inherent endorphin release, you may even feel slightly sedated for several hours afterward. A practitioner trained in Swedish massage will likely give you an easy-going, feel-good session.
A massage that repairs addresses specific problems, such as injuries or chronic pain. The goal is to provide optimal conditions for the body to heal. As sessions progress, you should feel less pain between massages in the problem areas and a sense that healing is taking place.
Unfortunately, some massage practitioners have a “no pain, no gain” approach. Be sure to speak up during the massage if the pressure is too much. If you already have a pain-related problem but find that you are suffering increased pain during the massage or hurting for hours afterward, it may be time to seek a different practitioner. As always, consider consulting a physician with medical concerns or before embarking on a new health regimen.
Please remember we are all ultimately responsible for our own health and well-being. While massage can help the body heal, it should be in addition to good nutrition, regular exercise and stress-reduction.
Swedish, Shiatsu, cranio-sacral and reflexology are just a few types of massage available in today’ s market, each requiring special training and used with specific results in mind. As foreign as some of these names may sound, they can all be categorized into either massage that relaxes or massage that repairs.
A relaxing massage should be pain-free and leave you feeling calm and serene. Due to the inherent endorphin release, you may even feel slightly sedated for several hours afterward. A practitioner trained in Swedish massage will likely give you an easy-going, feel-good session.
A massage that repairs addresses specific problems, such as injuries or chronic pain. The goal is to provide optimal conditions for the body to heal. As sessions progress, you should feel less pain between massages in the problem areas and a sense that healing is taking place.
Unfortunately, some massage practitioners have a “no pain, no gain” approach. Be sure to speak up during the massage if the pressure is too much. If you already have a pain-related problem but find that you are suffering increased pain during the massage or hurting for hours afterward, it may be time to seek a different practitioner. As always, consider consulting a physician with medical concerns or before embarking on a new health regimen.
Please remember we are all ultimately responsible for our own health and well-being. While massage can help the body heal, it should be in addition to good nutrition, regular exercise and stress-reduction.
2009年11月29日星期日
Nicolas Cage to light up spa town
Hollywood star Nicolas Cage is set to turn on the Christmas lights in Bath.
The star of The Rock and Con Air will bring some Christmas cheer to the Somerset spa town at 6.30pm.
Thousands of people are expected to line Milsom Street where Cage - who won the best male Oscar for his role as a despondent alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas in 1996 - will push the button.
Cage, who has owned various properties in the city but reportedly sold them recently, said he was "excited and privileged" to be switching on the lights.
He will appear alongside other celebrities including Heart FM DJ and former TV presenter Toby Anstis.
The festivities will see the opening of the Bath Christmas Market, set between Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths, which will feature more than 100 traditional wooden chalets.
Fans of Cage will be able to warm themselves with mince pies and mulled wine available from the market. Police advised visitors heading to the city to be prepared for a night of busy traffic and heavy crowds.
Road closures will be in place in Milsom Street, New Bond Street, Green Street and Quiet Street.
you can try the japan spa in your Japan tour,It's a great idea.
The star of The Rock and Con Air will bring some Christmas cheer to the Somerset spa town at 6.30pm.
Thousands of people are expected to line Milsom Street where Cage - who won the best male Oscar for his role as a despondent alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas in 1996 - will push the button.
Cage, who has owned various properties in the city but reportedly sold them recently, said he was "excited and privileged" to be switching on the lights.
He will appear alongside other celebrities including Heart FM DJ and former TV presenter Toby Anstis.
The festivities will see the opening of the Bath Christmas Market, set between Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths, which will feature more than 100 traditional wooden chalets.
Fans of Cage will be able to warm themselves with mince pies and mulled wine available from the market. Police advised visitors heading to the city to be prepared for a night of busy traffic and heavy crowds.
Road closures will be in place in Milsom Street, New Bond Street, Green Street and Quiet Street.
you can try the japan spa in your Japan tour,It's a great idea.
2009年11月26日星期四
Cops' massage parlour turns sticky biz
Yet again, the keepers of law are in news for the wrong reasons. Two Delhi police constables — one posted at the Mahendra Park police
station in northwest Delhi and the other serving a suspension — were arrested for allegedly running an illegal massage parlour.
Their advertisements in leading newspapers were straight — "those wishing to get a massage from pretty young faces" should just contact them. Once the customers responded, the accused would extort money from them. This, say investigators, was done in an organized fashion — the accused cops threatened to book the clients for "molesting underage girls." They sometimes even threatened them saying their "errant lifestyle" would be reported to their parents and family.
The arrests were made by the anti-extortion cell of the crime branch after the two accused, along with one of their accomplices, looted a sub-inspector of the crime branch after he posed as a decoy customer. The crime branch said more arrests are likely. "Some other men and a few girls have also been found to be involved with the gang. We have identified them and arrests will follow soon," said an investigating officer.
The accused cops — constable Rann Singh and constable Shaji — were first brought under scrutiny after it was revealed that certain cops were regularly promoting parlours through paid advertisements. Their friend, Indraraj, has also been arrested.
"The accused provided a number in the ad and once a customer called, the cops would ask him to reach near Vishal Cinema at Rajouri Garden in west Delhi. There, the accused would ask him to walk to a nearby car where they claimed a girl was waiting. The would be pushed inside the car and the threats followed," said an officer.
"We believe the duo, along with their accomplices, have looted several lakhs, including debit cards. On November 21, our decoy cop set up the meeting. The accused first asked him to reach Pankha Road crossing where he would meet the 17-year-old girl who will massage him. Later, they asked him to come to Vishal Cinema. Plainclothes sleuths arrested them once they had looted our SI of Rs 5,000 and his card.
These notes were marked with chemicals and will be produced in court," added another sleuth. However, two of the accused managed to flee along with the car used in the crime.
While Shaji resides at the police quarters at Uttam Nagar, Singh resides at Patel Garden near Uttam Nagar. "We will investigate if they were part of a bigger gang," said a crime branch officer.
station in northwest Delhi and the other serving a suspension — were arrested for allegedly running an illegal massage parlour.
Their advertisements in leading newspapers were straight — "those wishing to get a massage from pretty young faces" should just contact them. Once the customers responded, the accused would extort money from them. This, say investigators, was done in an organized fashion — the accused cops threatened to book the clients for "molesting underage girls." They sometimes even threatened them saying their "errant lifestyle" would be reported to their parents and family.
The arrests were made by the anti-extortion cell of the crime branch after the two accused, along with one of their accomplices, looted a sub-inspector of the crime branch after he posed as a decoy customer. The crime branch said more arrests are likely. "Some other men and a few girls have also been found to be involved with the gang. We have identified them and arrests will follow soon," said an investigating officer.
The accused cops — constable Rann Singh and constable Shaji — were first brought under scrutiny after it was revealed that certain cops were regularly promoting parlours through paid advertisements. Their friend, Indraraj, has also been arrested.
"The accused provided a number in the ad and once a customer called, the cops would ask him to reach near Vishal Cinema at Rajouri Garden in west Delhi. There, the accused would ask him to walk to a nearby car where they claimed a girl was waiting. The would be pushed inside the car and the threats followed," said an officer.
"We believe the duo, along with their accomplices, have looted several lakhs, including debit cards. On November 21, our decoy cop set up the meeting. The accused first asked him to reach Pankha Road crossing where he would meet the 17-year-old girl who will massage him. Later, they asked him to come to Vishal Cinema. Plainclothes sleuths arrested them once they had looted our SI of Rs 5,000 and his card.
These notes were marked with chemicals and will be produced in court," added another sleuth. However, two of the accused managed to flee along with the car used in the crime.
While Shaji resides at the police quarters at Uttam Nagar, Singh resides at Patel Garden near Uttam Nagar. "We will investigate if they were part of a bigger gang," said a crime branch officer.
2009年11月25日星期三
Five Reasons Massage Therapists Fail
Massage therapists, on the whole, are losing potential clients.
That is the discovery made by massage marketing consultant Eileen Ryan, a blogger for Natural Touch Marketing for the Healing Arts, the online company that provides marketing materials for massage therapists. In October, she talked to Natural Touch Marketing customers to see if there were any common issues bodyworkers are facing in their practice-building efforts. What she found was that every bodywork professional she talked to was struggling. No matter how long they had been in business, who their clients were or what modalities practiced, their practices were all failing to meet their business expectations.
Ryan summed up the first reason bodywork businesses are failing this way, “Many massage therapists, estheticians and Reiki practitioners are shy, retiring, right-brain kind of people. This is all well and good when in session. But to get people to make appointments, bodyworkers have to show people that they can help. They have to be ready to talk to people. They have to believe they are educated, worthy and have something unique to offer. They have to believe in their work. Otherwise, they are going to have trouble having the most basic business conversations with people.”
Here are the other four reasons businesses of bodyworkers are failing to thrive.
1. Bodyworkers don’t target their audience. Targeting potential clients is a straightforward step that requires some reflection. Before bodyworkers ever hand someone a business card or make any other marketing efforts, they have to be clear about what kind of clients they want in their office. They need to determine the kind of people who are a natural fit for their skills. Those are the people massage therapists should target with their marketing efforts.
2. Bodyworkers don’t say the right things when they write their marketing messages. They need to speak to their target clientele. When massage therapists know who they are talking to, then they know what message that client will respond to. Instead of placing ads or sending mailings with general messages like, “Come in for a relaxing massage,” bodyworkers should be specific. For example, “We help you recover from injuries,” “I can help you improve your game,” or, “We reduce neck and shoulder pain.”
3. Bodyworkers aren’t comfortable with marketing, so they don’t do it. Marketing is basic customer service. Just like consumers expect any business to let them know what their return policy is and what day a sale is starting, massage clients want to know if their massage therapist is practicing a new technique, offering a special or changing locations. Potential clients want to know who can help them manage their pain or reduce their stress.
4. Massage therapists think marketing is hard and that it costs a lot of money for materials, printing and mailing. The truth is marketing massage can be simple, straightforward and inexpensive. All it takes is a little time. Marketing is really just extending the care and concern about clients’ well-being beyond the limits of a session. A massage therapist who introduces himself or herself and hands a business card to someone with neck and shoulder pain, for example, is being both considerate and taking a step to build a practice. In the same vein, mailing reminder postcards or sending e-mails announcing specials is friendly, easy and affordable.
you can find more informations in beijing massage about this.
That is the discovery made by massage marketing consultant Eileen Ryan, a blogger for Natural Touch Marketing for the Healing Arts, the online company that provides marketing materials for massage therapists. In October, she talked to Natural Touch Marketing customers to see if there were any common issues bodyworkers are facing in their practice-building efforts. What she found was that every bodywork professional she talked to was struggling. No matter how long they had been in business, who their clients were or what modalities practiced, their practices were all failing to meet their business expectations.
Ryan summed up the first reason bodywork businesses are failing this way, “Many massage therapists, estheticians and Reiki practitioners are shy, retiring, right-brain kind of people. This is all well and good when in session. But to get people to make appointments, bodyworkers have to show people that they can help. They have to be ready to talk to people. They have to believe they are educated, worthy and have something unique to offer. They have to believe in their work. Otherwise, they are going to have trouble having the most basic business conversations with people.”
Here are the other four reasons businesses of bodyworkers are failing to thrive.
1. Bodyworkers don’t target their audience. Targeting potential clients is a straightforward step that requires some reflection. Before bodyworkers ever hand someone a business card or make any other marketing efforts, they have to be clear about what kind of clients they want in their office. They need to determine the kind of people who are a natural fit for their skills. Those are the people massage therapists should target with their marketing efforts.
2. Bodyworkers don’t say the right things when they write their marketing messages. They need to speak to their target clientele. When massage therapists know who they are talking to, then they know what message that client will respond to. Instead of placing ads or sending mailings with general messages like, “Come in for a relaxing massage,” bodyworkers should be specific. For example, “We help you recover from injuries,” “I can help you improve your game,” or, “We reduce neck and shoulder pain.”
3. Bodyworkers aren’t comfortable with marketing, so they don’t do it. Marketing is basic customer service. Just like consumers expect any business to let them know what their return policy is and what day a sale is starting, massage clients want to know if their massage therapist is practicing a new technique, offering a special or changing locations. Potential clients want to know who can help them manage their pain or reduce their stress.
4. Massage therapists think marketing is hard and that it costs a lot of money for materials, printing and mailing. The truth is marketing massage can be simple, straightforward and inexpensive. All it takes is a little time. Marketing is really just extending the care and concern about clients’ well-being beyond the limits of a session. A massage therapist who introduces himself or herself and hands a business card to someone with neck and shoulder pain, for example, is being both considerate and taking a step to build a practice. In the same vein, mailing reminder postcards or sending e-mails announcing specials is friendly, easy and affordable.
you can find more informations in beijing massage about this.
2009年11月24日星期二
Massage businesses vanish during crackdown
As many as half the massage establishments in Mesa may have shuttered their doors since police began a crackdown on illicit activity two months ago.
The vanishing businesses are a result of police arresting employees on prostitution charges and issuing other citations on a large number of the shops.
Police say the massage detail has been welcomed by legitimate businesses as a special team has inspected shops and told operators about tougher regulations expected to take effect in March.
But as police have gone to many shops, they’ve been greeted by locked doors about half the time, Sgt. Ed Wessing said.
Police visited the apparently closed shops during their posted business hours, but Wessing said one of the many problems with that industry is some operators have quietly opened after hours to evade detection.
“How many are actively operating, we don’t know,” Wessing said.
Still, some operators have cleaned out their spaces in shopping centers and appear permanently closed.
Councilwoman Dina Higgins said some places have video cameras outside and only unlock the door when they feel the person at the door is a client and not a cop. That makes it difficult to measure the precise impact of the crackdown, but Higgins said she knows some operators have thrown in the towel.
“I had noticed a couple places 'closed-closed’ and they were ones that were questionable at the start,” Higgins said.
Higgins and Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh have been vocal about tougher regulations on massage establishments, whose numbers swelled recently as Phoenix and Scottsdale toughened rules to drive out prostitution. Mesa has 120 registered establishments, ranging from resort-like day spas to shops in strip malls where unlicensed employees greet clients while sporting bikini tops.
The City Council is expected to approve stricter rules Dec. 7, and they’ll take effect 90 days later. Still, police will keep the massage detail in place even after the rules take hold to drive out unlicensed therapists and tell massage businesses about the new rules.
The regulations require employees to have state-issued certification, that businesses keep logs of their therapeutic activities and that managers register with police.
So far, police have made 32 prostitution arrests while issuing 107 citations against 82 people. The city made 177 inspections and found violations at 54 shops.
The owner of three Massage Envy shops in Mesa welcomed the crackdown and the new regulations. Sam Biggs is one of several owners police talked to as they crafted the rules and he said the new ordinance doesn’t require much more than reputable businesses already do. The illegitimate owners won’t survive if the rules are enforced, Biggs said.
“It’s about time,” Biggs said. “If they’re not living up to the standard that massage really is meant to be, then they shouldn’t be in the industry.”
Kavanaugh said he hasn’t heard complaints and wants the crackdown and new rules to create a “toxic atmosphere” for seedy operators.
“We hope we’re making life difficult for people who are the bad guys and I’m hoping that has an effect.”
The vanishing businesses are a result of police arresting employees on prostitution charges and issuing other citations on a large number of the shops.
Police say the massage detail has been welcomed by legitimate businesses as a special team has inspected shops and told operators about tougher regulations expected to take effect in March.
But as police have gone to many shops, they’ve been greeted by locked doors about half the time, Sgt. Ed Wessing said.
Police visited the apparently closed shops during their posted business hours, but Wessing said one of the many problems with that industry is some operators have quietly opened after hours to evade detection.
“How many are actively operating, we don’t know,” Wessing said.
Still, some operators have cleaned out their spaces in shopping centers and appear permanently closed.
Councilwoman Dina Higgins said some places have video cameras outside and only unlock the door when they feel the person at the door is a client and not a cop. That makes it difficult to measure the precise impact of the crackdown, but Higgins said she knows some operators have thrown in the towel.
“I had noticed a couple places 'closed-closed’ and they were ones that were questionable at the start,” Higgins said.
Higgins and Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh have been vocal about tougher regulations on massage establishments, whose numbers swelled recently as Phoenix and Scottsdale toughened rules to drive out prostitution. Mesa has 120 registered establishments, ranging from resort-like day spas to shops in strip malls where unlicensed employees greet clients while sporting bikini tops.
The City Council is expected to approve stricter rules Dec. 7, and they’ll take effect 90 days later. Still, police will keep the massage detail in place even after the rules take hold to drive out unlicensed therapists and tell massage businesses about the new rules.
The regulations require employees to have state-issued certification, that businesses keep logs of their therapeutic activities and that managers register with police.
So far, police have made 32 prostitution arrests while issuing 107 citations against 82 people. The city made 177 inspections and found violations at 54 shops.
The owner of three Massage Envy shops in Mesa welcomed the crackdown and the new regulations. Sam Biggs is one of several owners police talked to as they crafted the rules and he said the new ordinance doesn’t require much more than reputable businesses already do. The illegitimate owners won’t survive if the rules are enforced, Biggs said.
“It’s about time,” Biggs said. “If they’re not living up to the standard that massage really is meant to be, then they shouldn’t be in the industry.”
Kavanaugh said he hasn’t heard complaints and wants the crackdown and new rules to create a “toxic atmosphere” for seedy operators.
“We hope we’re making life difficult for people who are the bad guys and I’m hoping that has an effect.”
2009年11月23日星期一
Massage therapists join forces at Waimea location
LIHU‘E — Offering a grand-opening special of a $49, one-hour massage are Stacey Vinzant of Sweet Lomi Massage and Alison Koepfgen of Restoration Works, celebrating the opening of their new Waimea location.
The Waimea location is at 4490 Moana Rd., behind L&L Drive Inn just off Kaumuali‘i Highway, and opened last weekend after a blessing by Kelvin Ho earlier this month, Vinzant said.
Services are offered 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week by appointment only, and appointments are required at least 24 hours in advance, she said.
The two state-licensed massage therapists continue to operate a second location at the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands near Kekaha, where they have been for five years.
They decided to open a second location off base for those who live off the base and aren’t able to easily go to the base for massages and other body work, said Vinzant, an ‘Ele‘ele resident and state-licensed masseuse for 10 years.
“Together we are able to offer a wider experience of therapies to best serve your current needs,” the women’s brochure states.
Massages from 30 minutes to two hours are available in lomilomi, Swedish, deep therapeutic, sports, sweet lomi blend, shiatsu, pohaku lomi (hot stone), hot towel, reflexology, couples massage, orthopedic, myofascial, cranial sacral and Russian sports.
Gift certificates are also available.
Koepfgen also continues to see clients at the Alexander Day Spa at the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort & Beach Club on Kalapaki Beach, and has been a state-licensed therapist for eight years.
Even before the Nov. 14 grand opening, the ladies already had massage reservations on the books for their opening day, Vinzant said.
“Together we will bring you a warm therapeutic experience and a wide range of healing therapies to best serve you,” they said.
In addition to their career work, both are active community volunteers, with Vinzant on more than one occasion journeying to Kalaupapa, Moloka‘i, to offer her talented hands to soothe and heal Hansen’s disease patients and state Department of Transportation workers there, she said.
Vinzant also volunteers her talents for the annual Kaua‘i Police Department family gathering, and coordinates massages at the annual PMRF Fourth of July celebration, usually bringing in Kaua‘i Community College massage students to assist.
She has also made donations of hundreds of dollars worth of school supplies distributed to needy children through the YWCA.
Koepfgen’s volunteerism takes her to the mountains of Koke‘e, where she is with the Koke‘e Resource Conservation Project and The Nature Conservancy.
Koepfgen also placed third in the category of favorite massage therapists in one of The Garden Island’s Best of Kaua‘i programs, said Vinzant.
They offer discounts for those 65 and over and 12 and under, as well as expectant mothers.
Article from:llkotyiot5.blogetery.com
The Waimea location is at 4490 Moana Rd., behind L&L Drive Inn just off Kaumuali‘i Highway, and opened last weekend after a blessing by Kelvin Ho earlier this month, Vinzant said.
Services are offered 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week by appointment only, and appointments are required at least 24 hours in advance, she said.
The two state-licensed massage therapists continue to operate a second location at the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands near Kekaha, where they have been for five years.
They decided to open a second location off base for those who live off the base and aren’t able to easily go to the base for massages and other body work, said Vinzant, an ‘Ele‘ele resident and state-licensed masseuse for 10 years.
“Together we are able to offer a wider experience of therapies to best serve your current needs,” the women’s brochure states.
Massages from 30 minutes to two hours are available in lomilomi, Swedish, deep therapeutic, sports, sweet lomi blend, shiatsu, pohaku lomi (hot stone), hot towel, reflexology, couples massage, orthopedic, myofascial, cranial sacral and Russian sports.
Gift certificates are also available.
Koepfgen also continues to see clients at the Alexander Day Spa at the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort & Beach Club on Kalapaki Beach, and has been a state-licensed therapist for eight years.
Even before the Nov. 14 grand opening, the ladies already had massage reservations on the books for their opening day, Vinzant said.
“Together we will bring you a warm therapeutic experience and a wide range of healing therapies to best serve you,” they said.
In addition to their career work, both are active community volunteers, with Vinzant on more than one occasion journeying to Kalaupapa, Moloka‘i, to offer her talented hands to soothe and heal Hansen’s disease patients and state Department of Transportation workers there, she said.
Vinzant also volunteers her talents for the annual Kaua‘i Police Department family gathering, and coordinates massages at the annual PMRF Fourth of July celebration, usually bringing in Kaua‘i Community College massage students to assist.
She has also made donations of hundreds of dollars worth of school supplies distributed to needy children through the YWCA.
Koepfgen’s volunteerism takes her to the mountains of Koke‘e, where she is with the Koke‘e Resource Conservation Project and The Nature Conservancy.
Koepfgen also placed third in the category of favorite massage therapists in one of The Garden Island’s Best of Kaua‘i programs, said Vinzant.
They offer discounts for those 65 and over and 12 and under, as well as expectant mothers.
Article from:llkotyiot5.blogetery.com
2009年11月19日星期四
Synergy Day Spa deserves pat on the back
Give Rhiannon Cosgrave a pat on the back.
She opened the Natural Synergy Day Spa on Middleton Avenue in Parksville one year ago this week — and it has been the success she had hoped.
Cosgrave opened her own spa amid questions and concerns that such an enterprise might not fly, but she said she stuck with her dreams.
"Our success today has exceeded my expectations," she said.
At time, Cosgrave said, the business has been overwhelming. But with the help of great staff — from reception and estheticians to her massage therapists — Synergy has been able to thrive.
"She continues to look at organic solutions," said Synergy massage therapist Alex Middleton about her boss. "She looks at innovations and looks after the needs of the client and makes sure to take care of the environment."
Cosgrave is not necessarily resting after one year of success. She recently returned from Mexico, where she received certification in yoga and plans to introduce programs to her customers next week.
"The focus of the spa is to make people feel good, inside and out," she said.
Natural Synergy Day Spa is at 154 Middleton Ave. and is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday.
Article from:llkotyiot5.blogetery.com
She opened the Natural Synergy Day Spa on Middleton Avenue in Parksville one year ago this week — and it has been the success she had hoped.
Cosgrave opened her own spa amid questions and concerns that such an enterprise might not fly, but she said she stuck with her dreams.
"Our success today has exceeded my expectations," she said.
At time, Cosgrave said, the business has been overwhelming. But with the help of great staff — from reception and estheticians to her massage therapists — Synergy has been able to thrive.
"She continues to look at organic solutions," said Synergy massage therapist Alex Middleton about her boss. "She looks at innovations and looks after the needs of the client and makes sure to take care of the environment."
Cosgrave is not necessarily resting after one year of success. She recently returned from Mexico, where she received certification in yoga and plans to introduce programs to her customers next week.
"The focus of the spa is to make people feel good, inside and out," she said.
Natural Synergy Day Spa is at 154 Middleton Ave. and is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday.
Article from:llkotyiot5.blogetery.com
2009年11月17日星期二
City must make move and license massage parlours
Why does Barrie have a dozen or so body-rub parlours when city bylaws ban them everywhere?
Because it's the oldest profession, that's why. And sex sells, where it's legal or not.
So what city officials should do is make the best of an inevitable situation, and attempt to regulate the massage parlours.
Not having a city zone -- commercial, industrial, etc. -- which allows body-rub parlours isn't good enough. Ignoring the problem won't make it go away, either.
The city hasn't ignored other aspects of the sex trade.
Barrie escort agencies, the escorts and drivers are all supposed to be licensed, to make sure everyone is of legal age and nobody has a criminal record.
All Barrie escort agencies aren't licensed, and neither are all the escorts. But many of them are, which is considerably better than none, which is the situation with massage parlours.
City strip clubs and the dancers are also licensed, for the same reasons as the escort industry: to make sure everything is nice and legal.
So it just makes sense to regulate and license the body-rub parlours, too.
They're not going away. If anything, there will be more as the city's population continues to grow.
Some city officials say illegal massage parlours are a police matter. Communication for the purpose of prostitution is a criminal offence.
The problem is gathering evidence when these activities go on behind closed doors. As Barrie Police Chief Wayne Frechette points out, "Nobody goes into these places kicking and screaming".
City police say arrests are uncommon on the charge of operating a common bawdy house. Charges are rarely laid, in part because the sentences handed out by our courts don't warrant the police manpower required to make arrests.
In short, it really isn't worth police time to lay charges on what's going on between consenting adults.
That's not to say police don't respond to citizen complaints about body-rub parlours. They do, just like any other complaint. And police do keep an eye on these establishments.
But massage parlours are hardly a priority with city police, as Frechette says. Police have their hands full with more serious crimes, some of them also in the sex trade.
Just this past week, for example, Barrie police arrested 15 males and charged them with communication for the purpose of prostitution. Eight suspected hookers face the same charges, as a result of a police street crime unit operation.
Frechette's position about body-rub parlours in Barrie is simple: would citizens rather have this go on in private or in outdoor, public areas?
The bottom line is if this consensual, adult exchange is going to take place regardless of the zoning and criminal laws in place, every effort should be made to regulate it so that body-run parlour employees and customers have some protection.
Make the parlour owners get an annual business license, and give them a zone in which to locate. Make their employees get annual licences, which will require proof that they are of age (19 or older) and that they are Canadian citizens.
It won't work for every massage parlour or even all of their employees. But it will work for some, and that's better than what Barrie has now.
Sticking our heads in the sand and pretending body-run parlours don't exist because they're not allowed doesn't cut it anymore.
Related massage web:shanghai massage,beijing massage
Because it's the oldest profession, that's why. And sex sells, where it's legal or not.
So what city officials should do is make the best of an inevitable situation, and attempt to regulate the massage parlours.
Not having a city zone -- commercial, industrial, etc. -- which allows body-rub parlours isn't good enough. Ignoring the problem won't make it go away, either.
The city hasn't ignored other aspects of the sex trade.
Barrie escort agencies, the escorts and drivers are all supposed to be licensed, to make sure everyone is of legal age and nobody has a criminal record.
All Barrie escort agencies aren't licensed, and neither are all the escorts. But many of them are, which is considerably better than none, which is the situation with massage parlours.
City strip clubs and the dancers are also licensed, for the same reasons as the escort industry: to make sure everything is nice and legal.
So it just makes sense to regulate and license the body-rub parlours, too.
They're not going away. If anything, there will be more as the city's population continues to grow.
Some city officials say illegal massage parlours are a police matter. Communication for the purpose of prostitution is a criminal offence.
The problem is gathering evidence when these activities go on behind closed doors. As Barrie Police Chief Wayne Frechette points out, "Nobody goes into these places kicking and screaming".
City police say arrests are uncommon on the charge of operating a common bawdy house. Charges are rarely laid, in part because the sentences handed out by our courts don't warrant the police manpower required to make arrests.
In short, it really isn't worth police time to lay charges on what's going on between consenting adults.
That's not to say police don't respond to citizen complaints about body-rub parlours. They do, just like any other complaint. And police do keep an eye on these establishments.
But massage parlours are hardly a priority with city police, as Frechette says. Police have their hands full with more serious crimes, some of them also in the sex trade.
Just this past week, for example, Barrie police arrested 15 males and charged them with communication for the purpose of prostitution. Eight suspected hookers face the same charges, as a result of a police street crime unit operation.
Frechette's position about body-rub parlours in Barrie is simple: would citizens rather have this go on in private or in outdoor, public areas?
The bottom line is if this consensual, adult exchange is going to take place regardless of the zoning and criminal laws in place, every effort should be made to regulate it so that body-run parlour employees and customers have some protection.
Make the parlour owners get an annual business license, and give them a zone in which to locate. Make their employees get annual licences, which will require proof that they are of age (19 or older) and that they are Canadian citizens.
It won't work for every massage parlour or even all of their employees. But it will work for some, and that's better than what Barrie has now.
Sticking our heads in the sand and pretending body-run parlours don't exist because they're not allowed doesn't cut it anymore.
Related massage web:shanghai massage,beijing massage
2009年11月15日星期日
Florida Therapist Invents Hand-Saving Massage Tool, Wins Award
“Far too many good therapists fall by the wayside due to injury. That must change.” – Merril Lund, inventor of Career Extenders
FORT MYERS, FL – This year’s winner of the Sotenberg Grant, Merrill Lund, received a $2,000 award for patent-related expenses incurred while developing a career-extending device for manual therapists and chiropractors.
These tools have their origins in years of “finger crunching therapy,” which constantly inspired Lund’s thought, “surely there is a way to do this more effectively, and with a lot less strain on my hands.”
“I realized if there were to be solutions, I was going to have to invent them,” said Lund. “The tools on the market that I had tried were often cumbersome, illogical and not ergonomic. I knew future tools also had to feel as much like my hands to the patient as possible—even better if my hands could be in actual contact with the patient
“I have noticed that therapists are sometimes resistant to change. They have gotten used to doing their work one way,” Lund explained. “I find it's easy for a therapist to get excited about using the tools once they actually experience first hand how good they feel and how effective they are."
After several years of dreaming, imagining, experimenting and meditating, Lund said that the concepts and their construction began to flow.
“I would build a prototype, try it in my clinic, (often rebuilding it several times a week) constantly improving it over and over until it functioned precisely as needed,” he explained.
Lund is applying for CEU accreditation for classes that will encompass learning to use tools as well as injury prevention and self-help techniques for hurting hands/arms.
Related blog:
hdgsyt5.bloguni.com
blogaught.com/gmjdtui7
FORT MYERS, FL – This year’s winner of the Sotenberg Grant, Merrill Lund, received a $2,000 award for patent-related expenses incurred while developing a career-extending device for manual therapists and chiropractors.
These tools have their origins in years of “finger crunching therapy,” which constantly inspired Lund’s thought, “surely there is a way to do this more effectively, and with a lot less strain on my hands.”
“I realized if there were to be solutions, I was going to have to invent them,” said Lund. “The tools on the market that I had tried were often cumbersome, illogical and not ergonomic. I knew future tools also had to feel as much like my hands to the patient as possible—even better if my hands could be in actual contact with the patient
“I have noticed that therapists are sometimes resistant to change. They have gotten used to doing their work one way,” Lund explained. “I find it's easy for a therapist to get excited about using the tools once they actually experience first hand how good they feel and how effective they are."
After several years of dreaming, imagining, experimenting and meditating, Lund said that the concepts and their construction began to flow.
“I would build a prototype, try it in my clinic, (often rebuilding it several times a week) constantly improving it over and over until it functioned precisely as needed,” he explained.
Lund is applying for CEU accreditation for classes that will encompass learning to use tools as well as injury prevention and self-help techniques for hurting hands/arms.
Related blog:
hdgsyt5.bloguni.com
blogaught.com/gmjdtui7
2009年11月11日星期三
Obama Delays Japan Tour By A Day
U.S. President Barack Obama's Japan visit has been postponed by one day to allow him to attend a memorial ceremony for the victims of Thursday's shooting at the Fort Hood military base.
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who was supposed to have talks with Obama during his two-day visit beginning November 12, explained Saturday about the change in the schedule.
Obama would now be arriving Japan Friday and stay until Saturday, on his first trip to that country.
Related blog:ldkjsitu.blogetery.com
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who was supposed to have talks with Obama during his two-day visit beginning November 12, explained Saturday about the change in the schedule.
Obama would now be arriving Japan Friday and stay until Saturday, on his first trip to that country.
Related blog:ldkjsitu.blogetery.com
2009年11月10日星期二
Reasons for color blindness
If you can not distinguish blue and yellow or red and green, or sometimes other people may correct the color you see, you probably have color blindness. Color blindness is neither a form of blindness nor a full range of color disability. People with color blindness usually lack the ability to see certain colors properly. This is just a form of vision deficiency.
Those two types of color deficiencies have different inherit traits: red-green deficiency is found only on men and blue-yellow one affects men and women equally. Health problems such cataract may lead to color blindness. Once you have symptoms described above, you should go to see a doctor for a color blindness testing, which can determine the exact type.
There are mainly two reasons for color blindness: generic inheritance and various diseases, all of which affect the way that the retina’s light-sensitive cells respond to light with different wavelengths. Inherited forms of color blindness are the majority, such as Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and Kallman’s syndrome. LHON is always associated with red-green color defects, while the Kallman’s syndrome involves failure of the pituitary gland.
Disease-caused color blindness only accounts for a small portion. Cataracts can make the lens less bright, which caused color blindness. An IOL is usually used as a treatment. Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Tiagabine (an antiepileptic drug) are also reported to cause color blindness.
A disappointing fact is that color blindness can not be cured, so that many people with acquired color blindness are forced to discard their jobs that require accurate color perception. Those professions include graphic design and electric wiring. Individuals who are diagnosed with color blindness early enough in life will always choose a career that is less dependent on color perception.
However, there are strategies to make compensation. School-aged children should be given special care in learning if they have color blindness. For example, their teachers can plan particular lessons and presentations that require less color perception. Certain ECPs offer special lenses that can enhance color perception, which are available in both contacts and eyeglasses. Another way to “recognize” the color of clothes for people with color blindness involves organizing and labeling them. Color disabled individuals should also remember the order of different traffic lights.
Related web:beijing massage
Those two types of color deficiencies have different inherit traits: red-green deficiency is found only on men and blue-yellow one affects men and women equally. Health problems such cataract may lead to color blindness. Once you have symptoms described above, you should go to see a doctor for a color blindness testing, which can determine the exact type.
There are mainly two reasons for color blindness: generic inheritance and various diseases, all of which affect the way that the retina’s light-sensitive cells respond to light with different wavelengths. Inherited forms of color blindness are the majority, such as Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and Kallman’s syndrome. LHON is always associated with red-green color defects, while the Kallman’s syndrome involves failure of the pituitary gland.
Disease-caused color blindness only accounts for a small portion. Cataracts can make the lens less bright, which caused color blindness. An IOL is usually used as a treatment. Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Tiagabine (an antiepileptic drug) are also reported to cause color blindness.
A disappointing fact is that color blindness can not be cured, so that many people with acquired color blindness are forced to discard their jobs that require accurate color perception. Those professions include graphic design and electric wiring. Individuals who are diagnosed with color blindness early enough in life will always choose a career that is less dependent on color perception.
However, there are strategies to make compensation. School-aged children should be given special care in learning if they have color blindness. For example, their teachers can plan particular lessons and presentations that require less color perception. Certain ECPs offer special lenses that can enhance color perception, which are available in both contacts and eyeglasses. Another way to “recognize” the color of clothes for people with color blindness involves organizing and labeling them. Color disabled individuals should also remember the order of different traffic lights.
Related web:beijing massage
2009年11月4日星期三
Taking Your Massage Practice to the Next Level
Many massage therapists are frustrated by how the current economic situation has affected their practice. They are having difficulty making ends meet while trying to find or maintain continuous employment. While most massage therapists love their chosen profession, many doubt their ability to sustain themselves financially in the field over the long term.
Sound familiar? There is hope! There are proven strategies to create an effective plan of action that will help you build a rewarding and financially lucrative career as a massage therapist. It starts with asking some vital questions and then using the answers to help focus your time and efforts in ways that produce positive results.
Clarify Your Goals
Free your mind by capturing your thoughts on paper. This will help you get organized and focused. Start by writing your goals, followed by the actions you need to take to achieve them. Be as specific as possible. For example, don't set a general goal: "I want to make more money." Instead, set a specific goal: "I want to make $10,000 more this year." Another general goal would be "I want to have a more regular treatment schedule," but a specific goal would be "I want to treat my clients on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and on Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00 pm to 7 p.m."
Create an Action List
Once you have specifically defined your goals, you will have a clearer idea of the questions you need to ask yourself to determine the actions you need to take to achieve them. Think about the following questions and answers related to increasing your income.
Question: What businesses in my area could also be referral sources?
Answer: First make a list of potential sources in your area. Depending on the modalities you practice, these could include chiropractors, physicians, physical therapists and health care providers; professional office complexes; health food stores; hotels; gyms; and hair and nail salons. After you have created a viable list, hit the ground running. Schedule an appointment, call or simply pop in for a visit to introduce yourself and explain what you do, how you can help and how to schedule an appointment.
Question: How can I educate my clients so they see progress quickly and become raving fans that refer their friends, family and coworkers?
Answer: Take a few minutes to perform a full evaluation, provide education and develop a customized treatment plan to meet each client's specific needs. Taking such measures will gain your clients' respect and confidence, earning you a reputation as a knowledgeable and skilled massage therapist. Integrate postural analysis photos and trigger-point charts into your treatment plans so that your clients will understand why they hurt and how you can help. Encourage your clients to commit to a series of treatments that will reduce and/or eliminate their pain. Other articles I have written on this topic include: Getting Comfortable with Postural Analysis (MT July 2008), Simple Answers Create Positive Results (MT May 2008) and Charting Your Progress: Visuals for Success (MT February 2008).
Question: Which clients and referral sources should I focus on to increase my income?
Answer: Typically, 20 percent of clients will produce 80 percent of your income and/or 20 percent of your referral sources will send you 80 percent of your clients. I have written several articles on this topic: The 80/20 Rule: Maximizing the Return on your Investment (MT March 2008).
Question: How can I ensure that my clients will come back to see me?
Answer: Nurture your relationships with your clients by making follow-up phone calls, sending "thank you" cards, offering treatment specials and showing a genuine concern for their overall health and well-being. Another article I have written on this topic: Building Raving Fans: Consistency is the Key (MT April 2008).
Question: What products can I sell to generate additional income?
Answer: Items like topical analgesics are popular with the public and have a 50 percent markup. It is important to realize that making just an extra $20 a week in profit from selling topical analgesics adds up to more than $1,000 in your pocket at the end of the year. One manufacturer will send therapists complimentary brochures printed with the therapist's name and phone number, as well as a sample of the product attached. This saves valuable advertising dollars while helping to promote your business.
Question: Who has the experience, resources and track record to help mentor and guide me?
Answer: It is very important to keep up on the current research in the field, as well as become familiar with the industry's movers and shakers. Continue reading professional trade publications such as Massage Today. Seek mentors who provide an array of resources to help you grow your practice, such as seminars and home-study programs, online resources, and products. For tips on designing empowering questions to help clarify your goals and determine the actions you need to take to get there, read The Power of the List (MT January 2008).
Syntax
Once you have listed specific goals and the actions you need to take to achieve them, the next step is to create a timeline for completing each action. The word syntax involves the arrangement of parts or elements. The order of these parts or elements determines the outcome. For example, a phone number is a form of syntax. It consists of a series of digits in a specific order (area code + phone number). To call a specific person, it is necessary to dial all of the digits in the correct order or your call will not be successful. The same concept applies to your practice. There is a syntax, or order, in which you must complete each action to achieve your goals.
Question: What is my timeline to perform each action so I achieve my goals?
Answer: Write each step you need to complete on a calendar on the date you plan to start the task and the day you intend to complete the task. Be sure to schedule a date and time for each action. Plan a day to research online and then drive around to become familiar with the local businesses in your target area. Plan another day to write and practice what you will show and tell referral sources and potential clients about your services. I always carry a trigger-point flip chart with me so that I can show people that I understand their pain and that I can help. Be familiar with your charts so that you are able to quickly show pain patterns. Schedule several days to hit the streets to market your business.
Sound familiar? There is hope! There are proven strategies to create an effective plan of action that will help you build a rewarding and financially lucrative career as a massage therapist. It starts with asking some vital questions and then using the answers to help focus your time and efforts in ways that produce positive results.
Clarify Your Goals
Free your mind by capturing your thoughts on paper. This will help you get organized and focused. Start by writing your goals, followed by the actions you need to take to achieve them. Be as specific as possible. For example, don't set a general goal: "I want to make more money." Instead, set a specific goal: "I want to make $10,000 more this year." Another general goal would be "I want to have a more regular treatment schedule," but a specific goal would be "I want to treat my clients on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and on Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00 pm to 7 p.m."
Create an Action List
Once you have specifically defined your goals, you will have a clearer idea of the questions you need to ask yourself to determine the actions you need to take to achieve them. Think about the following questions and answers related to increasing your income.
Question: What businesses in my area could also be referral sources?
Answer: First make a list of potential sources in your area. Depending on the modalities you practice, these could include chiropractors, physicians, physical therapists and health care providers; professional office complexes; health food stores; hotels; gyms; and hair and nail salons. After you have created a viable list, hit the ground running. Schedule an appointment, call or simply pop in for a visit to introduce yourself and explain what you do, how you can help and how to schedule an appointment.
Question: How can I educate my clients so they see progress quickly and become raving fans that refer their friends, family and coworkers?
Answer: Take a few minutes to perform a full evaluation, provide education and develop a customized treatment plan to meet each client's specific needs. Taking such measures will gain your clients' respect and confidence, earning you a reputation as a knowledgeable and skilled massage therapist. Integrate postural analysis photos and trigger-point charts into your treatment plans so that your clients will understand why they hurt and how you can help. Encourage your clients to commit to a series of treatments that will reduce and/or eliminate their pain. Other articles I have written on this topic include: Getting Comfortable with Postural Analysis (MT July 2008), Simple Answers Create Positive Results (MT May 2008) and Charting Your Progress: Visuals for Success (MT February 2008).
Question: Which clients and referral sources should I focus on to increase my income?
Answer: Typically, 20 percent of clients will produce 80 percent of your income and/or 20 percent of your referral sources will send you 80 percent of your clients. I have written several articles on this topic: The 80/20 Rule: Maximizing the Return on your Investment (MT March 2008).
Question: How can I ensure that my clients will come back to see me?
Answer: Nurture your relationships with your clients by making follow-up phone calls, sending "thank you" cards, offering treatment specials and showing a genuine concern for their overall health and well-being. Another article I have written on this topic: Building Raving Fans: Consistency is the Key (MT April 2008).
Question: What products can I sell to generate additional income?
Answer: Items like topical analgesics are popular with the public and have a 50 percent markup. It is important to realize that making just an extra $20 a week in profit from selling topical analgesics adds up to more than $1,000 in your pocket at the end of the year. One manufacturer will send therapists complimentary brochures printed with the therapist's name and phone number, as well as a sample of the product attached. This saves valuable advertising dollars while helping to promote your business.
Question: Who has the experience, resources and track record to help mentor and guide me?
Answer: It is very important to keep up on the current research in the field, as well as become familiar with the industry's movers and shakers. Continue reading professional trade publications such as Massage Today. Seek mentors who provide an array of resources to help you grow your practice, such as seminars and home-study programs, online resources, and products. For tips on designing empowering questions to help clarify your goals and determine the actions you need to take to get there, read The Power of the List (MT January 2008).
Syntax
Once you have listed specific goals and the actions you need to take to achieve them, the next step is to create a timeline for completing each action. The word syntax involves the arrangement of parts or elements. The order of these parts or elements determines the outcome. For example, a phone number is a form of syntax. It consists of a series of digits in a specific order (area code + phone number). To call a specific person, it is necessary to dial all of the digits in the correct order or your call will not be successful. The same concept applies to your practice. There is a syntax, or order, in which you must complete each action to achieve your goals.
Question: What is my timeline to perform each action so I achieve my goals?
Answer: Write each step you need to complete on a calendar on the date you plan to start the task and the day you intend to complete the task. Be sure to schedule a date and time for each action. Plan a day to research online and then drive around to become familiar with the local businesses in your target area. Plan another day to write and practice what you will show and tell referral sources and potential clients about your services. I always carry a trigger-point flip chart with me so that I can show people that I understand their pain and that I can help. Be familiar with your charts so that you are able to quickly show pain patterns. Schedule several days to hit the streets to market your business.
2009年11月3日星期二
Equine Massage Course Offered
A two day Equine Massage course, designed for anyone interested in learning about relaxation massage techniques for their own horses is being offered at the Regional Equine & Agricultural Centre of Huron (REACH) on Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22, 2009 in Clinton, Ont.
“The use of relaxation massage techniques will be of benefit to all horses, regardless of their job or age," says Sharon McMaster, course instructor.
This two-day course is suitable for owners or caregivers of horses of any discipline, older horses in training and performance horses. This introductory course is a prerequisite for future advanced massage courses in stretching and therapeutic massage to be offered at REACH. Hands-on experience using the REACH horses is provided in a safe, quiet, supervised environment. Classroom sessions will be in the recently renovated Education Centre. This course is designed for anyone wishing to use massage techniques now or in the future on their own horses. Click here for more details about the course.
“Registration for this course closes on Friday, November 13, and registration is limited to ensure lots of instructor supervised hands-on work,” says Melanie Prosser, Director of Program Services at REACH. “Those who can provide proper relaxation massage to their horses is yet another way to ensure their well-being.”
The facilities at REACH include a heated teaching barn, high-tech classrooms, dorm rooms and a community kitchen.
The Regional Equine & Agricultural Centre of Huron (REACH) is a non-profit Municipal Corporation functioning as a "motel for education", offering innovative programming, as well as recreational activities, to support the equine, agricultural and other industries.
Related website:
shanghai massage,http://www.shanghaihotmassage.com
beijing massage,http://www.prettyshanghai.net/
“The use of relaxation massage techniques will be of benefit to all horses, regardless of their job or age," says Sharon McMaster, course instructor.
This two-day course is suitable for owners or caregivers of horses of any discipline, older horses in training and performance horses. This introductory course is a prerequisite for future advanced massage courses in stretching and therapeutic massage to be offered at REACH. Hands-on experience using the REACH horses is provided in a safe, quiet, supervised environment. Classroom sessions will be in the recently renovated Education Centre. This course is designed for anyone wishing to use massage techniques now or in the future on their own horses. Click here for more details about the course.
“Registration for this course closes on Friday, November 13, and registration is limited to ensure lots of instructor supervised hands-on work,” says Melanie Prosser, Director of Program Services at REACH. “Those who can provide proper relaxation massage to their horses is yet another way to ensure their well-being.”
The facilities at REACH include a heated teaching barn, high-tech classrooms, dorm rooms and a community kitchen.
The Regional Equine & Agricultural Centre of Huron (REACH) is a non-profit Municipal Corporation functioning as a "motel for education", offering innovative programming, as well as recreational activities, to support the equine, agricultural and other industries.
Related website:
shanghai massage,http://www.shanghaihotmassage.com
beijing massage,http://www.prettyshanghai.net/
2009年11月2日星期一
pointing out that a massage can treat
The solitary life, massage to bring you excitement and surprises, beautiful massage dalian girls shake your restless heart, make haste to beijing massage club bar! A different surprise, not the same feeling!
To palm rubbing method (in charge of the root close to a specific acupuncture points, do or counter clockwise rotation when the Roudong, D, moisturizing the skin: skin surface temperature increase of 2-3 degrees, so that moisture sebaceous gland and sweat gland secretion, reducing the skin under the Organization
To adapt to the crowd:
To adapt to frequent backache, back pain, kidney qi deficiency, virtual trouble with sleep, days, big heart palpitations forgetfulness, hot flushes and night sweats, Yaoxisuanruan, chills, cold extremities.
For a single hair can be so open up the meridians in order to prevent many diseases.
That teachers in the hair carefully about the right way: First, when the comb have a sequence, starting with the middle comb. People should be more frequent dizziness comb Governor Vessel; Wang Pangbian 23 centimeters of the bladder and then through the comb, can effectively prevent the common cold; final comb through the bile, that is, next to the location of the gallbladder through the pass with the face, could well prevent face long-spot poison, and a combination of "body, mind, and spirit" of treatment. By stone therapy, mud therapy, aromatherapy essential oils and other important skills and concepts in one, using ask, kneading, cutting and other techniques of traditional stone massage therapy expanded to improve the quality and effectiveness of the massage.
Function: may play a role in the prevention and treatment of colds, particularly suitable for treatment of high fever subsided after a cold.
Points, as can be diagnosed five internal organs (liver, heart, lung, kidney, spleen), and Six Hollow Organs (stomach, gall bladder, small intestine, large intestine, bladder, triple burner) is an important function, and is in full bloom body fluid place. Point is the breath flow of vital parts, like the railway as a transit hub. Acupoints along the road link is the meridian. Due to the flow of breath through the meridian, if there acupoint massage can make the flow of qi and blood circulation is more smooth, remove blood stasis, so that the function of the human body more active.
Complex slip hole Massage
"Re-wandering" and "Fu" is the meaning of repeated; "slip" is in full bloom means. That is, bad breath, as in this sustained accumulation of points. Massage re-wandering points of the female lower coke cold, dysmenorrhea, hands and feet swollen and effective.
Methods: Complex slipped inside the ankle bone ankle acupuncture in the center of straight two-inch height. Wrap the ankle with the palm of your hand, with thumb gently massage. About to replace, some press 20 times.
Sanyinjiao Massage
Sanyinjiao are three kinds of vaginal pulse - spleen, liver, and kidney meridians cross the site. Pairs of irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, infertility, vaginal discharge, low back pain with special effects. . You can remove blood stasis.
Common law: There is wipe out the role of the Evils Yong Zhi. "Su asked pattern of blood gas articles" have "shaped the number of panic, meridian unreasonable, the sick, born heartless rule in order to massage mash medicine" of the records, pointing out that a massage can treat the disease caused by unreasonable meridian card. Squeeze type of clinical treatment and friction type commonly used techniques, methods and facilities to be rigid-flexible.
Fill method: inadequate fluid supplem ent qi and blood, organs function of the weak. The saying goes: "Emptiness is supplemented." Rousing is the guiding ideology of clinical shanghai massage. "Su asked Tiaojing theory": "Do not release massage, a needle not to reprimand, remove gas at the lack of an air re been obtained," the record shows the way you can work through an air inadequate. Clinical practice often swing class, the main type of friction, but the approach should be light and soft, not too heavy incentives. Used for fill the spleen and stomach, fill waist kidney.
Reducing method: a general empirical focus for the next. Where a pent-up emotion from the real hot, Abdominal Distension, two will be unreasonable of the disease may apply to use of this law administering treatment. Clinical generally available swing, friction, extrusion type manual therapy. Practices in forces should be a little heavy, the frequency gradually from a slow speed.
To palm rubbing method (in charge of the root close to a specific acupuncture points, do or counter clockwise rotation when the Roudong, D, moisturizing the skin: skin surface temperature increase of 2-3 degrees, so that moisture sebaceous gland and sweat gland secretion, reducing the skin under the Organization
To adapt to the crowd:
To adapt to frequent backache, back pain, kidney qi deficiency, virtual trouble with sleep, days, big heart palpitations forgetfulness, hot flushes and night sweats, Yaoxisuanruan, chills, cold extremities.
For a single hair can be so open up the meridians in order to prevent many diseases.
That teachers in the hair carefully about the right way: First, when the comb have a sequence, starting with the middle comb. People should be more frequent dizziness comb Governor Vessel; Wang Pangbian 23 centimeters of the bladder and then through the comb, can effectively prevent the common cold; final comb through the bile, that is, next to the location of the gallbladder through the pass with the face, could well prevent face long-spot poison, and a combination of "body, mind, and spirit" of treatment. By stone therapy, mud therapy, aromatherapy essential oils and other important skills and concepts in one, using ask, kneading, cutting and other techniques of traditional stone massage therapy expanded to improve the quality and effectiveness of the massage.
Function: may play a role in the prevention and treatment of colds, particularly suitable for treatment of high fever subsided after a cold.
Points, as can be diagnosed five internal organs (liver, heart, lung, kidney, spleen), and Six Hollow Organs (stomach, gall bladder, small intestine, large intestine, bladder, triple burner) is an important function, and is in full bloom body fluid place. Point is the breath flow of vital parts, like the railway as a transit hub. Acupoints along the road link is the meridian. Due to the flow of breath through the meridian, if there acupoint massage can make the flow of qi and blood circulation is more smooth, remove blood stasis, so that the function of the human body more active.
Complex slip hole Massage
"Re-wandering" and "Fu" is the meaning of repeated; "slip" is in full bloom means. That is, bad breath, as in this sustained accumulation of points. Massage re-wandering points of the female lower coke cold, dysmenorrhea, hands and feet swollen and effective.
Methods: Complex slipped inside the ankle bone ankle acupuncture in the center of straight two-inch height. Wrap the ankle with the palm of your hand, with thumb gently massage. About to replace, some press 20 times.
Sanyinjiao Massage
Sanyinjiao are three kinds of vaginal pulse - spleen, liver, and kidney meridians cross the site. Pairs of irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, infertility, vaginal discharge, low back pain with special effects. . You can remove blood stasis.
Common law: There is wipe out the role of the Evils Yong Zhi. "Su asked pattern of blood gas articles" have "shaped the number of panic, meridian unreasonable, the sick, born heartless rule in order to massage mash medicine" of the records, pointing out that a massage can treat the disease caused by unreasonable meridian card. Squeeze type of clinical treatment and friction type commonly used techniques, methods and facilities to be rigid-flexible.
Fill method: inadequate fluid supplem ent qi and blood, organs function of the weak. The saying goes: "Emptiness is supplemented." Rousing is the guiding ideology of clinical shanghai massage. "Su asked Tiaojing theory": "Do not release massage, a needle not to reprimand, remove gas at the lack of an air re been obtained," the record shows the way you can work through an air inadequate. Clinical practice often swing class, the main type of friction, but the approach should be light and soft, not too heavy incentives. Used for fill the spleen and stomach, fill waist kidney.
Reducing method: a general empirical focus for the next. Where a pent-up emotion from the real hot, Abdominal Distension, two will be unreasonable of the disease may apply to use of this law administering treatment. Clinical generally available swing, friction, extrusion type manual therapy. Practices in forces should be a little heavy, the frequency gradually from a slow speed.
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