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In this issue of To Your Health:

• Diabetes and Massage
• Massage Therapists on the Move
• Answers to Your Massage Questions: Highlights From This Month's "Ask a Massage Therapist" Online Forum

More and more employers are seeking the benefits of massage for their staffs. The growing popularity of chair massage has provided massage therapists with a chance to get out and practice in offices and other settings.

Because of the many physical complications that can occur due to diabetes, massage therapists need to question their patients concerning several factors such as appetite, thirst, fatigue, sleep patterns, high blood pressure and numbness of the hands and feet. The therapist can then make an assessment as to the muscles, joints and tissues.

Massage can promote relaxation while acting on the nervous system. Massage helps to eliminate the surpluses of adrenalin and of noradrenalin, two hormones often related to a high glycaemia. It also can decrease the frequency of swelling of the feet and increases the contribution of nutriments and oxygen to the skin and muscles.

An increasing amount of research suggests that massage helps to ease or prevent common ailments that are most often treated with prescription drugs and/or extended hospitalization. Some of the most surprising research supports the effectiveness of massage therapy in reinforcing psychological stability and its positive effects on preterm infants.

Therapists are seeing the advantages of their services appearing in alternative settings. Chair massages are now appearing at fairs, expos, business offices and conferences, and at local shopping malls. This trend might encourage those leery of a full-body massage that they can still get the relaxation benefits from a simple and convenient chair massage.

This trend also could provide therapists with the opportunity to educate more people about the benefits of massage. Shorter massages, lasting only a few minutes, are designed to appeal to those frequenting health clubs, offices and many other settings. The goal is to get them to come back for more. Whatever the reason, consumers and therapists alike can both benefit from these so-called alternative locations. Consumers can get more education and exposure to the health benefits of massage and therapists can use these locations and opportunities to market themselves and massage therapy in general.

Question: I am getting ready to have gastro surgery for obesity,are there any benefits of having a massage before hand and if so what type?

Answer: Probably the best massage that you could have before your surgery would be a full body relaxation massage.

Thoughts of surgery can be stressful and a full body treatment would help reduce your stress. The slow soothing work will help get you in a calm, relaxed frame of body and mind.

Wendy Turpin, RMT
New Brunswick, Canada

Note: Information provided in this Q&A section is drawn from the "Ask a Massage Therapist" online forum, in which massage therapists field questions relative to the massage profession. Readers are encouraged to post their questions at www.massagetoday.com/ask/. Answers should not be misconstrued as a diagnosis, prognosis or treatment recommendation and do not in any way constitute the practice of massage therapy or any other health care profession. Readers should consult their own health care providers for medical advice.

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