“It Hurts, but Is It Worth It?” in the New York Times

The New York Times takes a look at the benefits of sports massage for professional and amateur athletes.

From the article:

For instance, a study in the October issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that cyclists who received massages after intensive pedaling showed improved performance.

But a study in a 2005 edition of the Journal of Athletic Training found that while subjects who received a 10-minute arm massage three hours after exercise had about a 30-percent reduction in muscle soreness and swelling, there was no change in muscle strength or function. Furthermore, a study in the September issue of the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine by Dr. Thomas Best of Ohio State University assessed that, of 27 studies reviewed that tested sports massages after exercise, only “moderate evidence” as to their effectiveness was found. The problem, in part, involved the inability to create an objective environment for measurement.

“Massage therapists use different amounts of pressure, so there’s tremendous variability,” said Dr. Best, who conducted a related study to try to address this very problem.

That trial, reported on in the July edition of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, used a mechanical device to deliver a massage with consistent pressure. When this treatment was delivered to the legs of rabbits after exercise, they showed a significant increase in muscle recovery and reduced inflammation as opposed to rabbits that received no massage. “The machine gave us a basis to see how much force was supplied,” Dr. Best said.

In other words: sports massage works, but finding the right therapist is important to the effectiveness of a sports massage regimen.

In addition to being a graduate of a massage therapy program, your therapist should be licensed by the state, and should keep up with new therapies and techniques. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about their certifications and continuing education classes. Discuss your concerns and goals with your massage therapist.

But ultimately, the proof is on the table. Do you feel better, stronger, and more flexible afterward? Your own body is the best judge.

Citrus sweet treats

During the holidays, eating less may or may not be on your mind. Chances are, however, temptations lurk around every corner. Cookies appear in worksite kitchens, and friends and clients drop off baked goodies as gifts. While there’s nothing wrong with the occasional sweet, consider a portable healthy treat perfect for this time of year — seasonal oranges such as tangelos, blood oranges and clementines.

Goodness inside

Oranges are the No. 1 citrus crop in the world, and they come in many varieties. The navel, so named for the bellybutton-like shape of the blossom end, is the world’s most popular eating orange. Around the holidays, blood oranges start appearing in markets. They get their vibrant color from high concentrations of anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant. Another holiday arrival is clementines, seedless members of the mandarin family. Clementines are a hybrid cross of a tangerine and a wild North African orange. The compact, easy-to-peel fruits are perfect pick-me-ups any time of day.

According to research from the and Mayo Clinic, eating antioxidant-rich foods provides health benefits beyond simply taking supplements. One reason is foods contain thousands of types of antioxidant substances. On the other hand, a supplement may contain a single antioxidant, or several. There is wrong with supplements, of course, but the biggest nutritional benefit comes from eating the actual fruit.

In addition to antioxidants, oranges are a good source of potassium and folate, a B vitamin. Both these vitamins help protect your heart. A medium-sized orange contains about 130 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin C. Studies have shown that the pectin found in the white pith helps reduce appetite — making them an even more important fruit to have around during the holiday season.

Selection and storage

Pick fruit that is firm and feels heavy for its size, as it’s a juicier choice. The skin should be bright and colorful. Be sure to avoid those with bruises or discolored skins. A bit of green doesn’t mean the fruit is not ripe, as it’s the natural color. Some growers dye the skin to make the fruit more of uniformly orange. The Food and Drug Administration requires a label that states “color added.”

Create a seasonal centerpiece in your office by lining a large bowl the evergreen branches. Arrange a variety of oranges in the bowl such as navels, tangerines, mandarins and clementines. Oranges can be kept at room temperature for several days. They can also be frozen. Encourage your staff and clients to enjoy the sweet treat before or after a massage. sage. The sweet citrus fragrance that fills the room is an added bonus that There is nothing can be enjoyed by all.

Article republished from Massage Therapy Journal, Winter 2008

Take Heart

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. It’s also among the most preventable diseases. Reduce risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol with these four ways to be heart-smart.

1. Know Your Numbers
   Medical experts recommend that cholesterol be tested every few years. The blood test classifies total cholesterol as a number and categorizes three numbers individually: HDL, high density lipoproteins, referred to as “good”; low density lipoproteins, LDL referred to as “bad”; and triglycerides. Good cholesterol helps keep bad cholesterol in check; the higher the number, the better. Conversely, the lower the LDL and triglycerides numbers, the better.
2. Drink tea
   A nice cup of tea can calm your nerves. Make it a green, black or white tea and it could also reduce the risk of heart disease. The key ingredient that may reduce this risk is flavonoids. According to research presented at the Fourth International Scientific Symposium in Tea and Health in Washington, D.C., held October 2007, the flavonoids in the tea may help decrease bad cholesterol, protect against blood clots forming, and might also reduce high blood pressure.
3. Practice Calmness
   Keeping your cool just may help control your cholesterol, according to a study presented at the 2007 American Psychological Association’s annual convention. People who had better coping skills had higher levels of good cholesterol compared to those who were quickly angered. The researchers also discovered that people who were more hostile actually increased their artery-clogging bad cholesterol. Experts say that anything that helps keep you calm is heart-smart, including meditation, walks, relaxing baths and, of course, massages.
4. Eat Green
   This Valentine’s Day, consider giving your sweetie a nice fresh bouquet of broccoli. It’s long been known that broccoli may help protect against cancer, and new research suggests that it could protect your heart too. Researchers at the Connecticut University School of Medicine gave broccoli extract to lab rats for one month and measured its effects on the rats’ heart muscle. Compared to a control group that ate a regular diet, the broccoli-fed animals had improved heart function and less heart muscle damage when deprived of oxygen. Broccoli’s heart-healthy effects are likely due to its high concentrations of substances that seem to boost levels of a heart-protective protein called thioredoxin.

Researchers study referred pain, trigger points

The New York Times recently published an article about new research into the causes of referred pain.

‘Referred pain’ refers to pain that originates in one part of the body, but is felt in another. You may, for example, feel knee pain when the pain is really caused by a hip condition. Researchers are just beginning to understand the phenomenon, but believe that one cause may be are trigger points — and that massage can help relieve such pain.

From the article:

Referred pain is also thought to emanate from trigger points — taut nodules that develop within muscle — which were first described in the 1960s by Dr. Janet G. Travell, who treated President John F. Kennedy’s back pain. The matrix of trigger points and their predictable pain-referral patterns has “a remarkable correspondence with acupuncture meridians in Chinese medicine,” said Dr. Jay P. Shah, a physiatrist in the rehabilitation medicine department at the National Institutes of Health.

Patients report that their referred pain is precipitated or worsened when the corresponding trigger point is pressed, and alleviated through massage or acupuncture at the trigger point. Though some doctors are skeptical about the trigger point hypothesis, Dr. Shah published a study last year in The Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation indicating that inflammatory chemicals exist at both the trigger points and the locations of referred pain.

The Mystery of Pain

by Douglas Nelson

The dominant theory about pain that has been in existence for many decades comes from Rene Descartes, who likened pain to a rope pulling on a bell. Trigger a pain event in the periphery (such as a muscle) and a message is sent (via the nociceptors) to the pain center in the brain, which reacts strongly to warn you to change course or adapt behavior. Like so many things, it seems cut and dried—until further investigation starts revealing an amazingly complex system fraught with multiple ways the system can go awry.

Pain’s message

First, we’ll address the idea of the nociceptors being pain receptors. There are people who are born with the inability to feel pain. This is a terrible condition called congenital analgesia. Imagine drinking a cup of tea so hot your mouth is severely burned, yet you cannot feel it and continue to drink (and burn) the inside of your mouth. Most people who have this condition do not live beyond 20 years or so.

What is absolutely amazing about congenital analgesics is their nociceptors are perfectly normal (1) — but if nociceptors are pain receptors, this cannot be. What scientists presently know is nociceptors do transmit noxious stimuli to the brain, but it is the brain that decides whether to interpret those stimuli as painful. …
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