10 Natural Ways to Relax and Rejuvenate

By Monique N. Gilbert

Originally published in Massage & Bodywork magazine, April/May 2005.
Copyright 2005. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.


Protecting the immune system and managing stress are vital aspects of living longer, feeling younger, and being healthy. Here are 10 ways to reduce stress, boost your immune system, and slow down the hands of time.

Physical activity. Regular exercise -- whether it's walking or dancing -- strengthens your cardiovascular system, heart, muscles, and bones. It also stimulates the release of endorphins, improves mental functioning, concentration/attention, and cognitive performance, and lowers cholesterol, blood pressure, cortisol, and other stress hormones.

Yoga and stretching. The slow movements and controlled postures of yoga improve muscle strength, flexibility, balance, circulation, mental focus, and calmness.

Hand hygiene. The most effective measure in preventing the spread of germs is good hand hygiene. Washing your hands as soon as you come home, and always before you eat, greatly reduces your exposure to bacterial and viral infections. Carry alcohol-based hand wipes to control exposures away from home.

To read more of this article please go to www.massagetherapy.com

Prepare For Flu Season Now!

Get Ready for Flu Season

Posted by Andrew Weil, M.D.

The November-to-April flu season is almost here. The 2006 – 2007 season was relatively mild, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it's impossible to predict how a future season will play out, so it pays to be prepared.

Keep in mind that influenza is not just a bad cold. It means a few days of misery with aching, chills and fever. Worse, the flu can lead to pneumonia, which can be deadly. Each year, more than 100,000 people are hospitalized and 20,000 die as a result of the flu and its complications.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that everyone over age 65 get a yearly flu shot and a one-time dose of pneumococcal (pneumonia) vaccine as part of their adult vaccination schedule.

Those with compromised immunity, anyone with a weakened immune or respiratory system, nursing home residents, and health-care workers who have regular contact with patients are particularly vulnerable to complications from influenza and should also receive annual flu shots.

The pneumococcal vaccine will not prevent the flu, but protects 70 to 90 percent of healthy adults from common pneumonias, and is 50 to 60 percent effective in preventing pneumonia in the elderly and the immune-compromised.

As far as children are concerned, parents should discuss the flu shot with their pediatricians. Children aged six months to two years are hospitalized with the flu as often as the elderly are. However, the safety and efficacy of the flu vaccine has not been proved for this group, and young children require two shots, not one.

In addition, pregnant women whose last two trimesters fall during flu season might also consider getting the flu vaccine. Expectant mothers are just as likely to suffer complications from the flu as other high-risk groups.

To reduce your chances of getting the flu, take these precautions: Click to read the rest of this article at http://health.yahoo.com/experts/weilhealthyliving

Acupuncture Relieves Back Pain

An interesting article in the New York Times reported acupuncture is more effective than drugs for back pain, the result of one of the largest studies ever conducted on the subject. According to the article:

Six months of acupuncture provides more relief for back pain than conventional treatments, according to a large new study. But surprisingly, fake acupuncture works just as well as the real thing.

The German study of nearly 1,200 patients, published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine, is the largest and most rigorous analysis yet of the use of acupuncture to treat back pain. Some of the patients received real acupuncture, which involves inserting thin needles deeply into the skin at specific points on the body. The acupuncturist then manipulates the needles to create a numb radiating sensation called de qi.

Another group received sham acupuncture: the needles were inserted around the back and legs, but only superficially, without manipulation and at points that aren’t traditional acupuncture sites. A third group received treatments based on their doctors’ recommendations, including physical therapy, massage and exercise.

All the study participants met regularly with their doctors, and each patient’s response to treatment was measured on a pain scale, as was the amount of pain medication required.

Though they comment that the "fake" acupuncture worked just as well, actually there were some significant advantages to the "real" points:

Nearly half the patients in the acupuncture group reported significant relief, compared to just 27 percent in the conventional therapy group. But nearly as many people in the fake acupuncture group — 44 percent — also reported significant relief.

Real acupuncture did reduce the need for pain medicine. Only 15 percent of patients who received real acupuncture used extra pain medication, but 34 percent of patients in the sham group and 59 percent of patients in conventional therapy needed extra pain pills.

To read more of this article visit the New York Times Article Moving The Needles

Body & Soul is an award-winning massage and wellness center in Salem, MA. For more information please visit bodysoulsalem.com.
For more information on acupuncture at Body & Soul visit www.MyAcuDoc.com