Author Archives: maia

Massage for Peace touches people in need

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This is a blog post from Teesforchange.com – the gracious folks that helped us start our revolution for peace.  This photo is from our first day of training in Dharamsala, India which serendipitously happened to be International Peace Day.   A million thank yous to everyone that supported this trip; financially and spiritually.  I will go back; for there is more peace and healing touch to share.

by teesblog on July 7, 2010

The Massage for Peace program by the Boulder College of Massage Therapy literally touches hundreds of people each year.

The non-profit massage school helps student share their healing hands with those living with illness, in poverty, and through war and conflict. Each year they offer 10,000 hours of massage free of charge to those who need it most.

As one alumna for the College, Becky Little explains Massage for Peace is “the simple act of reaching out and touching someone. Extending the love, care, and respect that comes from nurturing touch to another human being is a gift that enriches life. The gentle touch of a hand or a reassuring hug reduces fear, anxiety, and loneliness often felt in times of unrest and despair.”

With the average cost of a massage being about $1 per minute, over the last 33 years the school estimates its donation to those in need to be nearly $200,000.

At home, massage therapists from the school each spend about 250 hours per year with patients in prenatal, postpartum, cancer, cardiac, and orthopedic care at Boulder Community Hospital.

Last September, 10 massage therapists travelled to Dharamsala, India to teach massage therapy to Tibetan refugees at Lha Charitable Trust. Many of the refugees they worked with arrived with little aside from the clothes on their backs and the terror of the experiences they escaped. In a letter afterward, the trust’s general manager Ngawang Rabgyal said the skills learned by the refugees will go a long way toward helping them rebuild their confidence, and praised BCMT for its dedication to non violence. This was the seventh trip by students of the school to Dharamsala.

We at Tees for Change are proud  that we designed and produced the Massage for Peace t-shirts worn by the massage therapists on their journey and we hope you’ll join us in following their adventures in peace.

If you want to know more about the Massage for Peace trip to India, you can read all about it on the BCMT blog. To donate to Massage for Peace please follow this link.

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Acupuncture Pain Clinic – $30 Fridays

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I’ve had ALOT of acupuncture over the last 7 years – treating everything from a deadly virus to soft tissue dysfunction.  I’ve always had great success and highly recommend it to others as an option for health care.  For me, it’s my ‘go to’.  My acupuncturist, Jennifer Six is offering affordable, community style pain clinics on Fridays in Boulder.  Her office is just down the street from mine,  see information below.

Acupuncture Pain Treatment Clinic* – Community Style (a few tables going at a time)
Every Friday from 12-3
$30/treatment
Walk ins welcome!

Location: Wellness of Boulder
3300 Arapahoe Ave, Suite 215, Boulder

*For pain and injuries only. For internal disorder and ailments please contact Jennifer Six, L.A.c. for a free consultation.

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Massage Boulder client follows passion, launches business

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IMG_4342Soon to be mother of two and client of mine since the beginning, Monika Drake recently launched her photography website – Monika Drake Photography.

Monika has been been passionate about photography her entire life.  No matter the occasion, it seems that she had a camera with her at every moment. After the birth of her first child she decided that it was time to follow her passion.  IMG_6549She is a natural light photographer who specializes in children, babies, families, high school seniors, couples and maternity.

Monika is a joy and I encourage you to check out her website.  I think you’ll agree that her work speaks for itself.

Massage and simple relaxation ease anxiety

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A new study shows that patients who received a series of 10 massages over a period of three months cut their anxiety symptoms almost in half.  The same study, published in the journal of Depression and Anxiety, also found that simple relaxation was equally effective.  So was wrapping the subject’s arms and legs with heating pads and warm towels.  All three treatments took place on a massage table in a room with soft lighting and quiet music.  All three groups reported similar decreases in anxiety of more than 40 percent.

Massage, yoga and alternative therapies used to relieve pain

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Found this article on active.com.  I hope this helps explain, complementary vs. alternative and the growing bond between these therapies and western medicine when it comes to medical conditions like cancer. – jess

Dr. Michael Adolph
HealthNewsDigest.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio — When it comes to relieving the nausea, pain and fatigue often associated with cancer treatments, some patients look beyond conventional remedies to alternative therapies such as acupuncture, massage and yoga.”And that’s just fine, as long as the patients let their oncologists know what they’re doing, before proceeding,” said Dr. Michael Adolph, a palliative medicine physician at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

“It’s always in the patient’s best interest to let their physicians know what they’re doing, so as to have the best treatment possible,” Adolph said. Complementary and alternative therapies are tools that patients may choose to promote wellness, help control symptoms and take control of what’s happening to them during their cancer experience. But not all complementary therapies can be endorsed for all patients.

Complementary medicine is used together with conventional medicine, while alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. Integrative medicine combines mainstream medical therapies with complementary and alternative therapies that have been scientifically proven to be safe and effective.

“The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, such as vitamin and herbal supplements, along with mind-body therapies, and others, has been gaining mainstream popularity in recent years,” Adolph said.

For example, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, established by Congress in 1999 as part of the National Institutes of Health, supports clinical and basic science research projects in CAM, with more than $120 million in funding in 2006. Congress began funding the study and validation of CAM therapies in 1991.

“Studies have shown that up to 70 percent of cancer patients acknowledge practicing some form of CAM at their homes, including meditation, guided imagery, prayer, dietary changes and exercise in an effort to improve their quality of life,” Adolph said.

“Patients report substantial relief, and we support patients in their endeavors to cope and conquer in cancer survivorship,” said Adolph, who specializes in alleviating cancer patients’ pain and other symptoms during and after the entire course of cancer treatment. “We’re here to assist oncologists with any suffering the patients have incurred with the cancer process and treatment.”

“Many patients often are hesitant to discuss alternative methods they’re trying on their own,” Adolph said. Yet good communication between doctor and patient is key to incorporating CAM safely and successfully as part of treatment, he said.

Some herbal supplements can cause unwanted drug interactions, provoke bleeding during procedures or alter the efficacy of certain cancer-fighting drugs such as chemotherapy, Adolph said.