The Massage MonthlyNovember 2018

Continued on page 2

Helping Veterans and Wounded Warriors

Reiki's noninvasive nature makes it an effective choice for treating PTSD.

"A kind gesturecan reach awound thatonlycompassioncan heal."-Steve Maraboli

Office Hours and Contact

Ohana Therapeutic Massage218-263-1501November Hours!Mon. thru Thurs. 9am-6pmFriday 9am-2pm (Closed 11/16)Saturdays - 11/3 9am-1pm

In this Issue

Helping Veterans and Wounded WarriorsIs the Season Getting You Down?High Time for Tea

This nation's military veterans andwounded warriors continue to fight,long after they come off the battlefields.They fight to be whole again and toreclaim their physical and psychologicalhealth. Many forms of massage andbodywork can help them do just that.

Therapeutic MassageWith its ability to meld body and mind,massage is an excellent way for veteransto reintegrate. Not only can this kind oftherapeutic touch address the physicalwounds, it can help bring a sense ofnormalcy back into daily life."Gratifying physical experiences, such asmassages ... may be experiences thatpatients build up that are notcontaminated by trauma, and which may

serve as a core of new gratifyingexperiences," writes Bessel van der Kolk,author ofTraumatic Stress.

Research on massage and veterans,funded by the National Institutes ofHealth, has shown considerable promisefor this hands-on therapy. An initial2014 study found that veterans reported

significant reductions in physical pain,physical tension, irritability,anxiety/worry, and depression aftermassage. As a result, researchers arehoping to show in Phase 2 of their studythat massage could diminish ourveterans' needs for opiods for painmanagement, a significant concern forthe US Department of Defense and theveterans themselves.

Many of our military personnelreturning from battle zones come homeless than whole. In cases of amputation,massage can help control edema, dealwith neuromas, improve skin health,and loosen scar tissue. For more on thistopic, read "David's Heroes" in theNovember/December 2014 issue of

Massage Bodyworkmagazine. Find it online atwww.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/398416.

When visiting a massage therapist for thefirst time, expect a comprehensive intakeprocess to facilitate your session. If you

The fight is not over for many wounded warriors after they come home.

Continued from page 1

are a veteran or wounded warrior, yourtherapist will want to discuss the extentof your injuries with you, the medicalprocedures you've undergone, and anyongoing health issues, as well asmedications you're currently taking. Allof these questions help inform thetherapist how to work most effectivelyand safely with you, so be honest andforthcoming in your responses. As withany massage, be sure to let your therapistknow if anything makes youuncomfortable during yoursession--whether it's that the roomtemperature is too hot or the massagepressure is too deep. At any time, youcan end the session if the work is toointense or you need a break.

Craniosacral TherapyCraniosacral therapy (CST) has shownconsiderable promise in helpingmilitary veterans and otherposttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)sufferers. The developer of CST, thelate John E. Upledger, DO, OMM,believed this subtle hands-on therapycould make a difference. When heinvited veterans to be part of intensiveCST programs in 1999, he found thattheir depression and anxiety levelsdropped considerably after the therapywas administered, and that feelings ofhopelessness, which had once beenpervasive, quickly dissipated.

Further evidence for CST came in2004-2005, when military personnelreturning from duty in combat regionswere exposed to the therapy atCalifornia's Naval Hospital Lemoore."The results were absolutely profound,"says retired commanding officer SandyDeGroot, who oversaw the program."It's very hard for [those returning fromactive combat zones] to come back fullyand be in the present moment. TheCST work allowed them to releasetrauma held in the body."

ReflexologyAccording to author Paula Stone,reflexology is a highly effective therapyfor PTSD, a condition that affects morethan 5.2 million Americans every year."Acute sustained stress erodes the veryfabric of our being, while acute traumacan tear it. Whether prolonged orsudden, traumatic life experienceswound a person in body, emotions,mind, and soul, and can result inPTSD. Compassionate bodywork,

including reflexology, can help heal thebody and the person."

She says two benefits of using reflexologyfor clients with PTSD are (1) it can beutilized when massage and other touchtherapies cannot and (2) the clientremains clothed. "Reflexology improvesthe client's sense of well-being,improves sleep, reduces anxiety, andoften reduces the need for painmedications, especially following surgeryor cancer treatments." Stone says footreflexology improves the function of allbody systems. "Immediately noticeableare improvements in the flow ofbioelectrical energy, blood, lymph, andnerve impulses. Reflexology also worksenergetically by balancing the body'senergy systems. It works in harmony witha broad spectrum of energy therapies,such as polarity therapy and Asianmedicine."

Finding HelpOther modalities that have offered relieffor members of our nation's militaryinclude breath work, Healing Touch,myofascial release, reiki, TherapeuticTouch, trauma touch therapy, and evenyoga. More are being added to the listevery day.

If you or someone you know is a veteranor wounded warrior, and is suffering,reach out. Contact your local VeteransAffairs offices, visit the WoundedWarrior Project(www.woundedwarriorproject.org) orComfort for America's UniformedServices (CAUSE; www.cause-usa.org),and make an appointment with yourmassage therapist or bodyworker.

For more information on PTSD, visitthe National Center for PTSD, USDepartment of National VeteransAffairs, at www.ptsd.va.gov.

Loosen the grip of seasonal affective disorder.

Is the Season Getting You Down?Shine the Light on Winter Blues

High Time for Tea Discover the Healing Properties of Taking Tea

In northern climates when the heavysnows fall and the sun moves south,many people find their moods shiftfrom upbeat to downright depressed.The severe form of winterdepression--called seasonal affectivedisorder, or SAD--affects at least twomillion North Americans. Anotherthirty-nine million experience mildersymptoms of moodiness and extendedsleep patterns that somewhat resemblehibernation.

Overeating, sleeping for prolongedperiods, mood swings, carbohydratecravings, and weight gain during wintermonths may be more than justsymptoms of cabin fever. They cansuggest a biochemical reaction caused bya lack of exposure to sunlight.

Like all living things, we humans aresensitive to the seasons and sunlight. Wesecrete a hormone called melatonin,which helps us sleep at night and stayawake during the day. Melatoninproduction is directly linked to sun

exposure. So, as the days get shorterduring the winter, our bodies producemore and more melatonin and we canliterally feel like going into a cave andhibernating.

Many SAD sufferers manage theirseasonal depression with daily exposureto full-spectrum lamps or light boxes.By getting daily doses of natural light,they can fool their brains into thinkingit's summertime, and their need to sleepdecreases.

Recent research shows that timing theselight therapy sessions to our naturalbiological clocks is even more beneficialthan usage during the day. Exposure tonatural spectrum bright light for thirtyminutes on awakening is twice aseffective as evening sessions, and onestudy found this practice actually had an80 percent chance of sending SAD intoremission.

If winter blues are getting to you,consider investing in a full spectrum

lamp and use it first thing in themorning--because SAD is for the bears.

Brenda ArmstrongThe health research is enough to makeyou forego the latte for strong brewedtea instead. Name your color -- black,white, green, even red -- teas are packedwith disease-preventing antioxidants(more than some fruits and vegetables)and contain vitamins, minerals, and atleast half the caffeine of coffee.

Fortified with free radical-fightingpolyphenols, tea drinkers have a reducedrisk of many different cancers, inparticular stomach, colorectal, and evenskin cancer. Tea drinkers also have alower risk of heart disease, stroke, andhigh cholesterol. Containing anti-inflammatory and arthritis-preventingproperties, tea also helps stimulate theimmune system and protect the liveragainst toxins.

But you have to drink up. Most researchpoints to five or so cups of brewed teaeach day to reap the health benefits.Decaf tea loses some but not much of itshealth punch, due to extra processing.

All traditional tea -- white, green,oolong, and black -- is derived from theleaves of an evergreen tree called theCamellia sinensis, and all contain thehealth-promoting polyphenols. Whitetea is made from young tea leaves, driedin the sun without fermentation orprocessing. Green tea is dried with hotair after picking, so it retains its colorbut is not fermented. Oolong tea,sometimes referred to as "brown" tea, isfermented but not processed to thepoint of black tea. Black tea, on theother hand, is fully fermented, whichaccounts for the color of the leaves andits stronger flavor.

Rooibos, or red tea, is naturallycaffeine-free and from the Aspalathuslinearis, a shrub that grows only at highaltitude near Cape of Good Hope inSouth Africa.

Herbal teas are made from a variety ofplants, roots, bark, seeds, and flowersand are technically herbal infusionsrather than tea. Though they don'tcontain the same antioxidants andhaven't received the same research-basedaccolades as traditional tea, the herbs inthese infusions have certain healingproperties that have been used forcenturies to treat many common healthissues.

Brenda Armstrong is a Holistic Massage Therapist,Product Developer and Wellness Coach.

"Your mind willanswer mostquestions if youlearn to relaxand wait for theanswer."-W. S. Burroughs

Myofascial Release Self-Care Class~ Tues., Nov 20 @5:30-6:30pm ~ Join us and learn some simple self treatmentinstructions to help reduce your pain at home with JohnBarnes' Myofascial Release. Located at Lincoln ElementaryLibrary, 1114 E 23rd St, Hibbing, MN. Call HibbingCommunity Education to reserve your spot (218)208-0852.

Shop Small Boutique~ Sat, Nov 24 8am-2pmJoin us for a one-of-a-kind Small Business SaturdayShopping Event with 10 of your favorite small businessestogether in a SUPER relaxing environment located at OhanaTherapeutic Massage.

WeGiveBack November Honorees!This month we are honoring those who we owe everything-Veterans. From November 5-17, 2018, Veterans (and theirfamilies) may qualify to receive a FREE 30 minute massageat Ohana Therapeutic Massage! For more details or toschedule your free 30 minute massage, please call us at218-263-1501.

Early Bird Gift Certificate Special is Back! Watch ourFacebook page for details!

Helping you Heal yourself

208 E Howard StHibbing, MN 55746