Here are a few documented benefits of massage therapy:

1. Massage reduces stress, depression and anxiety.
2. Massage improves alertness and performance.
3. Massage aids relaxation.
4. Massage can aid in recovery from surgery, injury, or exercise.
5. Massage can reduce the formation of scar tissue.
6. Massage lowers blood pressure and heart rate.
7. Massage increases blood and lymph flow.
8. Massage improves circulation, resulting in improved assimilation and elimination.
9. Massage relaxes muscles and reduces muscle spasms.
10. Massage improves range of motion.

All the road are ice and snow covered and it will be very cold today and tonight.  Due to weather and road conditions, we will postpone our open house until next Friday, December 8th.  Please stop by and see us then. 

 Martha

The storm has passed.  The sun is out, and it is a winter wonderland out there.  I spent this morning watching the birds, deer, and squirrels out in the snow.  If you want a natural treatment for stress, give yourself an hour or so in the morning to just observe the world around you.  It feels great. 

We have been checking road conditions, and will update the website by noon with information regarding the open house. 

Today I went to a continuing education class at Northwest Arkansas School of Massage here in Eureka Springs.  I spent 6 hours learning techniques for working on arms and shoulders, and specific techniques for carpal tunnel syndrome.  Got some bodywork done on myself, too, which was great.  One of the coolest things was that one of our students was an 89-year-old man who had been doing massage therapy for 40 years.  Although he is pushing 90, he worked along with the rest of us.  He told us that he had seen natural healing methods work many times in his life when allopathic physicians had given up hope.  He reported using massage techniques on a client with Multiple Sclerosis.  After several months of treatment, the physicians could find no sign of disease.  He reported working with hydrotherapy on his wife when she had congestive heart failure, resulting in significant improvement in her condition.  He spoke of the naturopathic principle that nobody can “heal” you.  Only your body can heal itself.  As therapists, our only function is to provide the tools your body needs to aid it in its healing process.   I was so impressed to hear someone with so much experience speak of the successes that occur when the Universal Power and a natural healer work together.