Anything you want (if I have it)

As you know if you've received a massage from me, I will usually ask you if you have a musical preference. Classical, nature sounds, woo-woo music, golden oldies, etc. I've got a nice selection and most of it is orchestrated to encourage quiet and relaxation because, duh, I'm a massage therapist.

Today a client asked if I had anything by the Beatles. I did and that's what we listened to during the massage.

You don't have to limit yourself to "relaxing" music if you'd really rather hear something more upbeat. I've got lots of other music as well. AC/DC to Zoot Suit Riot, I can accommodate some variety in your preferences.

One day many years ago a client walked in and heard me listening to Terry Gross' NPR program "Fresh Air". When I went to turn off the radio she said "no, I like Terry Gross too" so we listened to a Fresh Air interview during her session.

Yes, you can ask for that. I only ask you to be honest with yourself about whether it's good for your massage experience. If it's right for you -- and not too distracting for me -- it's all fair game.

What Do You Want From Your Massage?

At the beginning of many of my sessions I ask "what can massage do for you today?" This seems to flummox people sometimes.

My profession has worked hard to change the image of massage from "that fluffy treat you give yourself but only on vacation at a spa" to "something that can improve a lot of pain and discomfort every day". That's good. But in the process we may have forgotten the value of a "relaxation" massage.

I've had several sessions in the last few weeks that were all about "relaxation" and they made a huge difference for the client. When you are experiencing stress, anger, frustration, panic, etc. it can be difficult to eat, think straight, sleep, interact with people, or even (sometimes) think well of yourself. Those are all serious issues.

What the world calls "relaxation" I call "turning down the volume on your nervous system". A good "relaxation" massage can do wonders to help you get back to center, calmness, and clear-headed-ness. We all need that, desperately.

This can be a tough town for stress. Many people are struggling to juggle, manage, and cope and their nervous systems (and the rest of their body) are straining under the load. When that's what's got you in my office, you don't need to come up with things that "hurt". You can simply say "I need to relax". I will give you the best relaxation / quiet the nervous system / bring you back to yourself session I can. And you'll feel heaps better for it afterwards.

Relaxation. It's not just for vacation any more.

Love the Babies But Not The Scars

If you’ve given birth, are pregnant, or plan to become pregnant, you need to know about scar tissue and scar mobilization. Why? Because it can massively impact your birth and recovery...

Jessie Mundell
Mundell Lifestyle and JMG Fitness Consulting

Great information about the scars that are oh-so-common with all aspects of pregnancy and birth.
There are no such thing as "old" scars. All scars are living tissue, no matter how old. They can all be improved.

I've been trained in scar mobilization and really enjoy the work. Got some scars? Let's talk!

Things I Don't Talk About

There's a lot of talk in the news about the connection of health to weight. "Medical professionals" are being encouraged in the mass media to have a talk with their patients about their weight (regardless of why the patient came in to see them). Many massage therapists feel strongly that we should be talking to our clients about weight.

I don't. I won't.

There are a lot of reasons. One reason is that I don't have anything new or useful to say. A bigger reason is that it can be subtly very hurtful to for a "professional" to bring up your weight out of the blue, when you didn't go to see them for that.

I know. It happened to me recently.

I went to see someone about some pain I was experiencing. This professional has a specific area of expertise that I knew would be helpful. In the middle of the treatment, the professional started telling me all about their recent efforts to lose weight and wondered if I'd heard about their particular diet and did I think it might work for me and it might be helpful for some other medical conditions I have (that this professional knows very little about).

I felt trapped. I needed the treatment. I didn't want to get into an argument. I didn't want to have this discussion at all. I have extended discussions with my primary doctor about every aspect of my health. This conversation wasn't going to add to that.

But I'm sure the professional felt they had done their part to "help" me think about my weight (I'm a middle-aged woman, what are the odds that I am completely unaware of my weight?). I was mostly annoyed.

And I'm not going to do that to you.

My Emotions, My Body

I went for a long-overdue massage myself last week. I'd been waking up with a sore neck. A pain in my back that occurs when I overdo it was becoming a low-grade always-there thing. I scheduled a 90-minute massage -- upper body only -- with a therapist I've seen before.

Wow, that was eye-opening!

There wasn't a single part of my body from my hips to the top of my head that wasn't tight. She really couldn't get "into" the tissue anywhere because I was one giant tight muscle. Yep, it hurt at times and yep, she was pretty frustrated. But I wasn't surprised.

The last year has been one of the hardest periods of my life. The turmoil of my mother's death (both anticipating her death and living with the reality of her death) have been emotionally grueling. I've had a lot of insomnia, anxiety, restlessness, depression, and just about everything else you can imagine.

In the massage I had a chance to realize I've been holding myself tight, physically and emotionally, for quite a long while now and -- no surprises -- I'm now paying for that. Holding myself tight wasn't wrong. In fact, given my emotional landscape, it was a reasonable response. It just means now I have to deal with the aftereffects.

Emotional turmoil is just as strong a force on our bodies as physical turmoil. We often underestimate that. If we aren't obviously broken or bleeding, we downplay the damage.

Many years ago I worked with a young woman who was a competitive athlete. Lately her times were off. She wasn't going as fast as she normally did and she couldn't figure out why. During her session I happened to have my hand on her breastbone when she began talking about a loved one's troubles. She was deeply concerned for her loved one. I felt her tighten up under my hand as she spoke.

I said "I think I know why your times are not as good lately. When you think about this person, your body tightens up. You can't move as freely (or as quickly) when your body is all tight. It sounds like you think about this person's problems a lot."

Curiously, despite working in a field that focuses on the effects of stress and trauma to the psyche, she poo-pooh'ed my observation. She preferred to believe it was a purely physical problem, a pulled muscle for example. It couldn't possibly be something as "non-physical" as her emotions!

Our emotions are as much a part of our body as our hormones, our blood, and our bones. They aren't some ephemeral "out there" thing. Pay attention to what your body is literally doing when you are experiencing strong emotions. Shoulders hunching? Stomach tightening? Face scrunching? Hands clenching? Holding your breath? If the emotions are strong enough for long enough, you're likely to experience pain.

I can't solve the emotional aspects of your life (ah, that I could!) but I can help you find some relief from the physical manifestations. I can help you experience relaxation and peace for at least the length of your massage session. I can also help you be aware of what's happening in your body.

I'm booking several more sessions with this therapist (and scheduling a chiropractic adjustment while I'm at it). It's going to take a while to get my body and soul un-clenched from the grief of the past year but I know that, with help, I can do it.

Shared Housing: It's Not Just For 20-somethings

This isn't about massage or your body but it is about your health, emotionally and socially.

As many of you have realized, I share my home with more than my husband. We also have a 3rd housemate, Tina. The three of us have known each other independently since about 1990 and have lived together since 2005. We bought our house together in 2006.

This article from the NY Times captures a sense of what we're doing and why we're doing it. As we were all facing our middle years we knew a few things about ourselves: none of were going to have children, we'd grown tired of renting, buying a house in the DC area is expensive even with 2 incomes, and home maintenance is a PITA. Why not share? We now shoulder the financial and maintenance responsibilities on three sets of shoulders, not just two.

Plenty of people get more than a little freaked out at the idea of sharing a house, once past about the age of 30, with anyone you aren't related to by blood or marriage. I won't say it's been trouble-free but then living with just my husband hasn't always been trouble-free! Jeff and I have had plenty of roommate-style negotiations and conflicts to settle (how many dishes is too many in the sink, after all?) so sharing a marriage license or DNA is no guarantee of peace and harmony. The divorce rate would suggest it's also no guarantee of security.

There are lots of things to think through, lots of questions to ask yourself and ask the other person(s). But it's a creative alternative to living alone.

Community is widely recognized as one of the things that helps us stay healthy, mentally and physically, as we get older (there, I found a way to make it about health!) but a lot of us end up living alone. If you're anything like me, you've discovered (or will discover) that making new friends and establishing new social circles gets more difficult with each passing decade. That's less about personality and more about the logistics of life. Living with more than one other person, even more than a spouse/offspring/relative, is one way to keep your social circles fresh and open.

As you stare down the road at your 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and whatever comes after that, be open to creative ways to keeping yourself in community and to sharing the responsibilities of life.

Things That Make Your Massage Therapist Happy

There's a thing going around Facebook now (isn't there always) challenging people to name three things they are grateful for every day for 7 days. I enjoy this sort of thing so I think I'll share some of the things I'm grateful for in my life as a massage therapist:

 

• I get to meet a wide variety of people. We all tend to move in circles of people who are like us, work in the same fields, or live in the same neighborhoods. I've gotten to meet people I would never have met otherwise.

 

• I'm always challenged to learn more. I'm 14 years into being a massage therapist. When I was 14 years into my previous career (technical writing) I was headed straight for burnout. In massage therapy, on the other hand, there's always something new to learn, understand, and be better with. I doubt I'll ever feel like I've learned everything I need to learn. I've got three training classes planned for the next 6 months: scar release for the torso, lymph drainage level 1, and Reiki level 1.

 

• I have become a better person. I invite everyone who comes into my massage room to tell me the truth about their life, their pain, their frustrations, and how they want things to really be. I hear things. I have had to become the kind of person that can hear many things, respect them, and (most importantly) keep them to myself.

 

• I've developed a more mature reasonable relationship with my own body. Gotta practice what I preach, after all.

 

• People are always glad to see me. I couldn't necessarily say that when I was a technical writer!

 

• And, damn, I spend my days making people happy. If that's not a good way to live, I don't know what is.

One Shoulder or Two?

Aren't shoulders great? They give our arms somewhere to hang for one thing. They also give us convenient places to hang other things -- briefcases, computer bags, purses, backpacks, garment bags, diaper bags, etc. Maybe you've noticed (maybe you haven't) that every time you put something on your shoulder, your shoulder has to lift itself up just a bit to keep that thing from sliding off your shoulder.

In the short term or done infrequently, that's fine. Most of us don't do it infrequently or short term, however. We do it every day or at least a few times a week. And let's not  forget tucking a phone between the shoulder and the ear to free up both hands. I'm amazed when I see people riding a bike down the street and trying that move with a cell phone. Craziness.


The muscle most involved in this hitching up is the levator scapula. As the name implies, it elevates the scapula (shoulder blade). It's also the primary muscle you use when you go back and forth from your mouse to your keyboard (any idea how many times you do that in a day?)

It's not a huge muscle so it's not built for heavy duty use. That means that when it gets worn out, it recruits the other muscles around it. And many of those muscles have one end anchored in your neck or to your spine.

This is a factor in why office workers (like so many of you) have sore shoulders and necks. It's not just about carrying stress in your shoulders, it's also carrying your computer and your mouse and your purse on your shoulder!

What do you do about that need to hitch the shoulder up?

When possible, quit carrying things that weigh more than about 5 pounds off just one shoulder. Yes,  ladies, you should be weighing those purses (and yes, those purses you carry in the crook of your arm also hitch up your shoulder). When you hang something from both shoulders (like a backpack, worn properly) the shoulders don't need to rise up to hold in in place. That also works when you carry something on one shoulder but across the body (starts on one shoulder, ends on the opposite hip).

You can also stretch out these muscles to give them a little break. Here's how I like to do it.

1. Sit in a chair. Put your right hand under the seat so your right shoulder won't rise up.
2. Put your left hand across your head (so your fingers are above your right ear) and gently pull your head to the left (like your were trying to get your left ear on your left shoulder).
3. Pay attention to the muscles in your right shoulder as you do this. Do you feel a gentle tug? That's good. While you're doing this, rotate your head a little to the left (like you want to tuck your nose into your left armpit). Do you feel the stretch move?
4. After 10 - 20 seconds, let go and switch hands so you're stretching the other side.

We aren't going to stop carrying things from our shoulders. It's too convenient and it frees our hands, which we need even more. The best thing we can do is carry things as efficiently as is practical and take care of those muscles when they've been working hard.

And for goodness sake, don't try to tuck your cell phone into your shoulder while you ride a bike!

I'm Just Along For The Ride

When you first become a massage therapist, it's sooooo easy to think "I just fixed that problem". To be really awed and impressed by the change you just wrought. Keep doing this work for a while and a little humility (or a lot) smacks you in the face.

What I now know is that the body is always -- always -- trying to put itself back to right, back to balance, back to reasonable (possibly even optimal) functioning. You and I can help or we can hinder but we aren't likely to make it happen apart from whatever the body is doing.

When I lay my hands on you, especially if it's somewhere that seems particularly jammed up or agitated, the first thought I send to your body is "Hi, how can I help? Where can I be of service?" As much as I am able, I maintain that mindset throughout the session. What is the body trying to do and how can I be an extra resource in that endeavor?

This is particularly true when I've chosen to do myofascial release (it's that really gentle work I do where it seems like I'm not doing anything, even possibly napping). MFR is subtle work and requires me to "listen" closely with my hands to what's already going on in your body. When I think I know what the fascia is trying to do, I use my hands to give that effort an extra little nudge, an extra little oomph. That's how I'm most effective it seems.

I'm never the smartest in the room. Neither are you. Your body knows more than either of us, combined, do or ever will about its functioning. I work best when I remember that.

Let's move some stuff!

Why I love my work.

Two weeks ago a client came to me with pain in his breastbone (sternum). We knew it wasn't his heart. We suspected it was from a month-long cough he'd been unable to get rid of. I was able to get the muscles around the area to calm down but there was still.....something there. Some lumpiness.

After palpating it and talking to him, I suggested that all that coughing had jarred loose a rib and it was now slightly out of alignment where it joined his sternum. I'm no chiropractor and would never ever attempt a chiropractic adjustment.

But here's the thing: myofascial techniques don't just work on the muscles. They work on everything in that area, creating space and softening/lengthening tissue. I did some general fascial work on the center of his chest but he was still sore when he left.

The next day he told me that the rib had moved back into place overnight and he wasn't sore any more (and the lumpy place was gone).

I love my job.

CrossFit Gyms Everywhere

In the past 2 months I've noticed a sudden blossoming of CrossFit gyms across the city, specifically on/near Capitol Hill. CrossFit is very popular. I know people who participate and love it. I've seen the videos and they are impressive.

And scary. I can't speak knowledgeably about the workouts themselves (although this article does, in detail). What concerns me is the mindset. Which seems to be that (1) your body is a dumb animal to be pushed to do whatever you want, (2) pain is gain, and (3) more is always better. [No disrespect to animals -- smart or otherwise -- intended in that first point.]

That is not my experience. It's also not my philosophy of the body. Your body is brilliant beyond your imagining. The ways it regulates itself, repairs itself, and communicates with you are myriad, complex, and inspiring. The best thing you can do "to" your body is listen to it.

I can't condemn CrossFit because (1) I don't have enough experience with it myself and (2) so many are getting the results and satisfaction they seek. If that's you, I know how wonderful it can be when you've found what inspires and satisfies you.

But I will not be able to replicate the more / faster / harder / more painful mindset on my table. There are therapists who can and I'll help you find them if that's what you need.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz............

Some years ago, I was looking for ways to reclaim some control over my life, which seemed to be ruled by my eternal to-do list. I decided to try one new thing at a time and the first experiment was this:

For one month, make everything in my life secondary to getting a full night's sleep

You may jump right to "...but what about x, y, or z???"  That was my challenge too. I don't have children but I've got plenty of other responsibilities. That's why I approached this as an experiment.

It was challenging. I had a well-developed habit of skimping on sleep so I could take care of one (two, three, four....) more things. In my mind's eye, I saw myself as lazy, selfish, unprofessional, immature, and a host of other unattractive adjectives for putting something as childish as "sleep" at the top of my self-care list.

And weren't all the really interesting, accomplished, important people in the world getting by on limited sleep (or so their complaint/bragging seemed to suggest)? I reminded myself it was an experiment and struggled on.

It turned out to be a smart thing to do. I learned a few important things:

• Virtually everything in my life runs better when I've gotten a good night's sleep. Including all those to-do's and obligations I'd been tending to at the expense of my own sleep.
• A good night's sleep helped keep nascent illnesses at bay. Not all of them but it was delightfully surprising what physical maladies I could avoid (or at least reduce) by stopping when I realized they were coming on and getting some sleep.
• My world did not end, my practice did not tank, and my marriage did not fail. Turned out a lot of those Critically Important to-do's and obligations either weren't actually Critically Important or could survive being put on hold while I caught some critical zzzz's.
• My to-do list lost weight over night. What looked huge and implacable at 11 pm often looked smaller and softer (or even irrelevant) at 11 am after a good night's sleep.
• God bless a good nap. While most writers advise limiting naps to 30 minutes or less so you don't mess up your nighttime sleep, I'm one of those fortunate few who can nap for 1, 2, or even 3 hours as needed and still sleep well at night (I know, try not to hate me for this).

While researchers are still pondering exactly why we need sleep, they all agree it's absolutely critical to our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Many of us struggle with insomnia from time to time; for some it's an enduring problem. You've probably seen plenty of lists of ways to improve your sleep. And here's another one!

10 Tips To Get Better Sleep Tonight

I'm sharing it because it said a few things I haven't read before and it said them clearly and convincingly. Like most "top 10" lists, it's a quick read. So take a moment or two and see if it offers you any new, interesting, or useful insights (but, please, not in bed when you really ought to be getting some shuteye).

Massage and....colds and flu

Recent medical research indicates that massage therapy can help boost your immune system strength by increasing the activity level of the body’s natural "killer T cells,” which fight off viruses.

Studies in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine examined the effects of Swedish massage therapy on the body's hormonal response and immune function. Researchers found that participants who received Swedish massage had a significant decrease in the hormone arginine-vasopressin (which plays a role in regulating blood pressure and water retention) and concluded that Swedish massage produces measurable biological effects and may have a positive effect on the immune system.

Make sure you receive massage therapy when you're healthy—if you have flu symptoms, reschedule your massage appointment and consult your doctor.

from the American Massage Therapy Association.

Going Back To My Roots

The first modality (type of massage) you learn in massage school is Swedish massage. It's perfect for relaxation, which is its primary use. Most of us go on to learn all kinds of more technically challenging modalities and we often forgot about poor old Swedish massage. In fact, some massage therapists (not me! not me!) may have been over-heard referring to Swedish massage as "fluff and buff" and not in a complimentary sort of way.

I recently had a chance to get back in touch with my Swedish skills and I'm so grateful!

A regular client had a nervous system that was so tightly strung you could have used it for banjo strings. Between a stressful job, a tweener at home, and a medication not behaving as it normally does, the client's nervous system was in overdrive. The client hadn't slept more than a few hours in 5 days and was getting desperate.

Rather than the "advanced" techniques available to open up tissue and get things moving again, this situation called for Swedish, pure and simple. So that's what we did. Low lights, quiet music, sloooooow strokes, and a couple of extra minutes at the end of the session to not go anywhere and not do anything.

I know it worked well for the client, whose voice was several notes lower at the end of the session and who reported finally feeling appropriately tired. It also reminded me how relaxing Swedish massage is for me as the massage therapist! I was pretty darned zen at the end of it too.

Swedish massage. An oldie but a goodie.

The Long-Term Woes

I've realized over the years that I particularly enjoy working with people with long-term conditions such as fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, etc. I really do like helping people live well in their own bodies.

There's a large body of research that shows that keeping stress under control can keep these kinds of conditions under control as well. We all know it's all-but-impossible to have a stress-free life. Massage helps you bring the stress back down to a manageable level. In my own work, I've seen it improve balance, improve sleep, reduce soreness, and help people breathe a little more deeply and comfortably.

If you have -- or know -- someone working to live with a long-term condition, here's some of the research to back up my claims:

Research published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice showed that adults with rheumatoid arthritis may feel a decrease in pain, as well as greater grip strength and range of motion in wrists and large upper joints, after receiving regular moderate-pressure massages during a 4-week period. “This research demonstrates the potential value of massage therapy for the estimated 1.3 million Americans living with this chronic condition, with women outnumbering men 2.5 – 1.

Helmick CG., et al. Estimates of the Prevalence of Arthritis and Other Rheumatic Conditions in the United States. Arthritis & Rheumatism. 2008 January; 58:15-25.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic syndrome characterized by generalized pain,joint rigidity, intense fatigue, sleep alterations, headache, spastic colon,craniomandibular dysfunction, anxiety, and depression. This study demonstrated that massage myofascial release techniques improved pain and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia. 

Castro-Sánchez, A.M., Matarán-Peñarrocha, G.A., Granero-Molina, J., Aguilera-Manrique, G., Quesada-Rubio, J.M., Moreno-Lorenzo, C. (2011). Benefits of massage-myofascial release therapy on pain, anxiety, quality of sleep, depression, and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011:561753.

Travelling in 2014

I will be out of the country for one month this spring. March 17 - April 18. As you can imagine, my practice will be closed. 

Some of you know that I lived in Brisbane Australia from 2010 - 2011 and loved it, just loved it. I'm finally getting a chance to go back. I'll visit friends, see places I loved, go to some places I didn't get to visit while I lived there, get back up to the Great Barrier Reef for a few days of snorkeling. I'm looking forward to it.

I promise to post pics.  J

You may be able to wait a month for me to return. You may not. If you need a referral to another massage therapist while I'm gone, let me know. I have an excellent referral list.

I'm excited about my vacation. Tell me what I can do to help you during my absence.

Time to Step Away and Ponder

I spent this last weekend away in the woods with my business partner, Kitty Southworth. We have two weekend retreats a year to review and make plans for our small training company, The Healing Core. I'll take the annual retreat for my private practice (the one you all know) later this month.

I started taking these annual biz retreats for my practice more than 10 years ago. It started as something of a whim. It's become a vital part of moving my practice forward.

I'll take a look at what worked and what didn't work in 2013. I'll get my bookkeeping closed out for 2013 and my information ready to file my April taxes. 2013 was a good year and I know I'll enjoy that (yes, I'm that kind of a nerd).

Once 2013 is taken care of, I'll spend a lot of time planning for 2014. How will I reach more people? How can I provide even better service to you, my clients? What new things do I want to learn? Are there policies or procedures that need to be tweaked?

I also get a massage. I'm trying a new practitioner this year and a new modality: tuning forks. Yes, people do bodywork with tuning forks! It's just another way to use vibrations to affect the body and spirit. Plus, it can be melodic! I'm looking forward to it and I promise to give you a report once I return.

Are there things you'd like me to add to my practice in 2014? Are there new services that would help you? I added online scheduling and credit card processing in 2013 and that has been very popular. What else can make working with me even easier for you?

Are there skills or specialties you wish I was more adept with? Anything you'd like me to learn?

Are there ways I can tweak my policies and procedures that would make the process more helpful and easier for you?

Now's the time to speak up! If you've got any input on how I can be a better massage therapist for you or how my practice can be even easier for you to us, let me know. I appreciate anything you can tell me to help me better serve you.

Is It February Yet?

January is a crazy kind of month. There's so much frenetic energy around resolutions, finances, shopping, and (this week) the crazy weather. It's easy to think you're missing something if you're not undertaking a Major New Endeavor in January.

If you're not, it's OK. I'm not either. J

I used to. Changes for both my life and work. Diets. Exercise. Meditation. All the usual stuff. I realized, at some point, though that this didn't change my life as I'd hoped it would. It mostly made me anxious, discouraged, and cranky. So I quit doing it and guess what? Things still moved forward and got better (or at least changed) all on their own. Even if I started those resolutions / new endeavors in February. Or August.

There's also all kind of noises in my profession about jumping on the January bandwagon, suggesting if we can get massage therapy on your list of resolutions, we're golden for the year. Guess what? I'm not doing that either.

As far as your relationship with massage therapy, I only suggest this imagination game: imagine how you'd like to feel in April in body, mind, or spirit. (Not how you'd like to fee in December, that's too far away.) Take a moment. Get a good sense of that.

Now ask yourself: can massage therapy help you get there?

Massage therapy can be so helpful in so many ways -- from pain relief to relaxation to living with chronic conditions, -- that the odds are your answer was "yes". Massage therapy can probably help in some way, large or small.

I'm not asking you to make a Major Commitment To The New You. I'm only asking you to be honest with yourself and to be kind to yourself. If you need massage therapy, please call me. I'd love to see you some time in 2014. You know where to find me.