twinsparksmassage.com

I know that there are many people out there who would like to try massage, but they are just not sure about what to expect that first time. Maybe,  I can provide a few answers to those unspoken massage questions.

Do I have to strip down completely naked? Well, no, the golden rule for massage therapists to follow is to create a safe, friendly environment for their clients. I will massage you fully clothed, if you like; that has happened several times over my career and it’s not a problem. Many folks want to wear underwear, some like to go bare. Along those lines, trained therapists always “drape” their clients, so that the only areas exposed  are the ones being worked on. This protects your modesty, as well as keeping you comfortably warm. When it is time for you to disrobe, your therapist will leave the room, and will knock on the door before re-entering.

Am I supposed to tip? Generally, it is up to you. If your therapist did a great job and you feel wonderful and would like to tip, go ahead. When you’re  at a medical office and receiving massage for an injury or condition, usually no tip is anticipated.  If you go to one of those Massage Envious- type places where the therapists are new, under-trained, overworked and underpaid, you may feel a subtle pressure to tip whoever provided your rub. That kind of defeats the purpose of getting a  low price, discounted massage, right?

What about talking to the therapist while he or she is working? Before the massage is a good time to talk. Tell your therapist of any health conditions you have. Also, ask any questions regarding concerns about the massage. After the massage begins you can talk or remain silent, whatever is more relaxing for you. Talking may help dissipate any nervousness you might be feeling. If you’re feeling any pain during your massage session, you must speak up and inform your therapist so that he or she can make pressure adjustments. Don’t worry about offending the therapist. Good therapists always want feedback so they can improve their massage skills.

I will add more ?’s to the list, shortly. In the meantime, if you have a burning massage question, hopefully, I’ll provide a good answer. Sincerely, Abe Alpert CMT

What massage question do you have?

After I graduated  massage school and started working with real patients, I made the startling observation that working on what my clients described as the source of their pain yielded only temporary improvement;  they soon returned with the same symptoms. I came to the conclusion that the pain a person felt and the source  of the problem were not synonymous. For one, seldom was just one isolated muscle injured, as muscles work in collective groups,and hurting one meant hurting others as well. Moreover, the injuries that were presented  often represented the weakest link in a chain. When the trauma or accident occurred, that was the area predisposed to giving out. To do a “good” job, I had to treat the link, but also had to fix the fence. To be a better therapist, I had to re-think  my notions about our bodies.

 My original ideas came from the prevailing medical model, which viewed the body as a collection of parts. This idea is being replaced with better understanding. Yet, orthodox medicine still lags behind.

People are sometimes confused when trying to understand the human body. As a Therapist, I know all too well that we add to the problem by way of our explanations. Often, we will use the analogy that your body is like an automobile, it requires regular maintenance to perform at higher levels, that much is correct. However, the body is not like an automobile; .You just can’t remove and replace parts and expect everything to be like new. If you develop large gallstones, for example, and need to have your gallbladder removed, the absent organ will be missed, you will never digest fats the way you did before (before you manifested the problem). The consequences are too many to be listed here. Removing your tonsils increases your chances of developing cancer. That “new” hip will never be as good as the one God gave you. Not that long after your hip replacement, you can expect your back to start aching, and, like most folk, you probably won’t even make the connection between those two events. “Old” school medicine recognized only the most obvious connections. For example, originally, before they knew better, doctors who “cracked”  open chests, first identified the thymus organ and, because it appeared as shriveled up in adults, the organs were routinely removed. They soon learned that these  patients promptly died, so they stopped surgically removing the thymus. As it turns out, we do not have spare parts. Take note!

Unlike a car, the “parts” do not function independently. They work together! And the best news of all, your body can repair itself!  It does require your commitment, and a willingness to want to feel and be healthier. First, however, you need to realize that it is possible to actually get better. Regular massage, by a skilled therapist, can help a great deal! Contact Info

To really be good at something, anything really, requires a level of excitement, enthusiasm, in a word, passion. Without passion, your work, though acceptable, will never demonstrate excellence.  I had a crazy drive to become a Massage Therapist. Massage itself was not my passion,  it was the desire to help people heal:  massage became the vehicle to achieve that goal.

Of course,  18 year ago, when I began my career, the profession was much misunderstood,  many viewed massage as fluff, a luxury for the wealthy,  a palliative, or, at worst, a cover for prostitution. Today, the profession has advanced and made some inroads.  People are beginning to hear good things about the benefits of this old healing practice. At the same time, the popularity that many of us massage pioneers helped create is being lost in a flood of new under- trained, under- qualified recruits who through no fault of their own cannot meet the higher expectations of today’s informed client. The pressure to make big money has led to a decline in the quality of service provided. Substance and performance have given way to slick promos and empty promises.

Massage is more than what meets the eye. For Instance, each human body has it’s own unique topography. Each person has a quality of depth, composition, and complexity which is like  no other, and presents a different challenge.  Nowadays, the average massage therapist delivers a massage much the same way a house painter applies a coat of paint, uniformly, superficially, and repetitively, with no regard to the unique qualities of the individual. Witness the birth of “fast food” massage.

Wow, whats a knight to do….? I had just completed  a massage and was getting ready to post another article on my web site when I received an e-mail from my editor, Miriam, who, in her own, as always, polite way, expressed her concern over  my Twin Sparks web page.  Damsels in distress . (I really do not understand what all the fuss is about.)

As it turns out, my editor’s bone of contention was my implying that women could not take care of themselves; that they were not independent. She also shared the page with her friend, who agreed with Miriam’s view.

Actually, I meant to say outright, women are not independent and cannot take care of themselves. While trying to disprove me, my editor’s friend actually proved my point. Her friend said “I can take care of myself…..”I get regular massages….And If Miriam’s friend were truly independent, she would not need anyone to provide any service, much less massage. I know, a number of readers of this post probably think I’m playing some sort of semantics game. But I’m not.  In a subtle way, Miriam’s friend is not  acknowledging the help she is receiving from her massage therapist and others who make her life bearable, even possible. Like the rest of us, men included, we are dependent on each other in every meaningful way, from cradle to coffin.

The failure to recognize this truth,  that we need each other, is the cause of much suffering and the reason why many fail to ask for needed help. When we act in truly inter-dependent ways, we advance everyone. When we act the illusion of complete independence, we tear the fabric of our society apart.

I thank my editor for bringing the matter to my attention.” No man is an island”

In many circles,  Massage is viewed as a luxury. Being touched feels good, for most of us, but we could live without it, right? Well, as it turns out, no.

Even as late as 1915, in hospitals and orphanages, a mysterious illness was running rampant. Infants were dying at rates between 90%-99% within the first year of  being admitted. Those who managed to survive were left permanently damaged.  Their bones did not grow properly, they were underweight, uncoordinated, and had compromised immune systems.. All these symptoms, and more, were associated with physical starvation.  Oddly, these infants were not starved at all, At least, not for food.

As it turned out, the Hospitals, in their ultimate wisdom,  reflecting on the best science of the time, decided that, because of the importance of  maintaining a germ- free environment, the babies would be handled only as much as necessary. As a consequence of this forward thinking, babies  died, with great frequency.  The disease was properly named “Merasmus” which meant a “wasting away”.  This touch deprivation looked exactly like physical starvation. There was an immediate, drastic improvement, once nurses and other caregivers handled and played with the infants.

So, maybe you believe we have advanced past that primitive stage of understanding the importance of touch. I have my doubts. Take, for example, our children. Teachers are no longer allowed to hug the children in some schools. So, do you think this practice “protects” our children? Read what Lenore Iskenazy has to say on Free-Range-Kids in an article entitled “school devises drastic solution”.

The need for touch does not just disappear as we age.There exists another hidden killer………..Stress, literally, will shorten your life.  Unlike animals who can experience stress and move on, humans have trouble turning the stress switch off. The longer the stress button remains on, the shorter your life.  Massage can turn that switch off. More on stress later. Touch a luxury? You bet your life! Here is some independent research.

My Massage felt wonderful, but now,  a day later, I don’t feel well at all. What happened? They told me it wasn’t going to hurt.  So why do I feel so yucky, sore and tired?

Chances are, this was your first Massage,  or you have not had a Massage for a long time. When you receive regular body work, the aftermath leaves you feeling great. Ask any friend who is a regular to Massage;  they will tell you the same. The benefits are cumulative! Okay, then why am I hurting?

By the time you showed up for your Massage appointment,  you were months if not years overdue, right? Maybe you’re  just a human ball of tension. You’re going to need a Massage deep enough to begin the healing process, or you’re just wanting  a few hours of relief.  You’re  at a  Therapeutic Crossroads, and need to make a decision. Long or short term solution? The quick fix has limited value. Perhaps you have a test tomorrow and just want to relax, maybe it will help you score higher on the exam. But taking this approach can get pretty expensive.  Ultimately, it makes sense to improve the underlying condition. You opt for the more permanent solution.

It’s the day after, you probably forgot about your Therapist’s  suggestion to drink lots of water after the Massage. If your Massage was anything but superficial, you will be sore,  the body work  itself causes some level of inflammation. Do you remember those knots that felt like they were melting away under your Therapist’s loving hands? Breaking those up caused some changes to occur in your body. For one, those knots in your muscles contained lactic acid, which was released into circulation as your Therapist was working. This acid is basically waste material which is an irritant to your body’s tissues. That burning and or itchy sensation may well be the lactic acid coming out. That’s a good thing.

Also, during the Massage, toxins and other substances are released from fatty or other connective tissues  into your bloodstream and are  heading  out of your body via the  organs of elimination. This can leave you feeling sickly, weak and  irritable. All of these events are your body cleaning itself internally. A good thing.

When you drink lots of water,  it helps the body rid these substances faster. This is the reason your Therapist told you to drink all the H2O in the first place.

Additionally, you may be pro inflammatory, which means your body reacts more extremely to the Massage. Usually, poor diets  high in acid- forming foods and lacking in essential fatty acids make your body pro inflammatory.  Eating less meat and dairy and more plant- based food helps reverse this condition.  Even taking cool or cold showers reduces the acidity of your body and brings inflammation down.