Guide To Massaging New Born Babies

Newborns simply love to be touched and cuddled. The skin to skin touch helps you and your baby bond, comforts your baby when she is upset or uneasy with gas or colic problems. Hence, touch is a critical part of growth and development.

The massage strokes used on adults are completely different from the strokes to be used on newborns. You can adapt the adult strokes to massage your child. Just make sure that your strokes are lighter on them. The younger they are, more delicate and smaller will be the strokes be.

It is ideal that you take your child either on your lap or lay him on any kind of elevated soft surface such as few thick towels put together. Be very gentle while massaging. If your child cries or does not enjoy it, stop massaging till it feels comfortable about the whole thing.

Massage steps for the front of the body

- Lay the child on the back. Start by stroking gently the face, move to the middle of the forehead and temples

- Stroke the cheeks from nose to ears and back moving down to the chin. Gently stroke the area around the eyes.

- Stroke the front of the body along the arms. Make clockwise circles around the navel with both hands. Do gentle wringing action across the abdomen and up the body.

- Take one arm at a time, start stroking from shoulder to hand to fingers. Massage the hand, squeeze and rotate each of the fingers in turn. Do the same for other arm.

- Take one leg at time. Do a gentle wring or squeeze up the leg and stroke down the leg. Do the same for other arm.

Massage steps for the back of the body

- Lay the child stomach down. Stoke up and over the back and along the arms.

- Do a gentle kneading on the child's shoulder

- Do a gentle wringing stroke all over the body. Massage the rear side with gentle kneading or pinching strokes.

- Slide smoothly down the spine alternating with both the hands. Start from the base of the neck and move to working down to the base of spine.

- Gently stroke the legs, bending the knee up and working all the way to the foot.

- Hold the anklebone between your fingertips and move both the hands in circular motion.

- Squeeze the heal with one hand and use the thumb of your other hand to massage the sole of the foot.

- Massage the toes by gentle squeezing, rotating and pulling it in turns. Hold the foot firmly between your hands for few seconds. Repeat the same for massaging the backside of other leg.

Lastly, turn the baby over and give it a final massage in two strokes. Start from one foot up the leg, across the lower abdomen and move down the other leg. Do light strokes from the top of head right down to the feet.

To massage the baby having gas or digestive problems, use the "I Love You" technique.

- Lay the baby on the back and undress it completely or just leave the diaper on.

- Use two or three fingers of your right hand to trace the alphabet "I" on the right side of the abdomen with gentle, yet firm movements.

- Next do a gentle stroke from left to right across the baby's abdomen and then do a small downward stroke along the right side of his stomach forming upside down "L" alphabet.

- Last, stroke up from the left side of your baby's hipbone moving towards the left side of the abdomen, across the baby's body from left to right horizontally along the stomach and finally finish by stroking down the right side in the same manner, forming the "U" alphabet in upside down direction.

Acupressure Certification Programs offered at Natural Healing Schools

Find Acupressure Certification Programs in the United States and Canada. While alternative and natural medicines are continuing to strengthen in mainstream acceptance, students who are interested in learning and applying the healing arts will find that earning their acupressure certification can be both personally and professionally rewarding.

Both professional massage therapists and students stand to gain a wealth of information and skills through one of several acupressure certification programs. Taught as an ancient healing art, acupressure certification programs provide apprentices with the knowledge on how to effectively use the fingers to apply pressure to key points on the surface of the skin. In doing so, muscular tension is released and circulation is improved. Similar to principles of acupuncture training, acupressure certification programs use the same points of reference; but instead of needling techniques, acupressure certification classes teach students how to apply firm but gentle pressure using the hands and feet as a self and natural-healing aid.

Students enrolled in acupressure certification programs will learn that this ancient Chinese medicine has been used for thousands of years, and while it is commonly used for relief of tension and muscle stress, it is widely known to improve skin condition and tone as well. In addition, students in acupressure certification programs will discover that acupressure is a great complementary medicine to patients who have from arthritis, and chronic headache sufferers.

Though many acupressure schools, massage therapy schools and other Oriental medicine schools offer acupressure certification programs for humans, candidates who prefer working with animals will often find that equine and canine sports massage training institutions will also provide acupressure certification courses that are specifically geared toward the animal kingdom.

Depending on individual academic institutions, acupressure certification programs may accompany or may be offered as an elective in a variety of massage therapy programs. Once candidates have earned their acupressure certification, they may integrate this into their professional bodywork practice and may expect earnings up to $32 per hour; depending on education, training, and experience.

If you are interested in finding your dream job, let education within fast-growing industries like massage therapy, cosmetology, acupuncture, oriental medicine, Reiki, and others get you started! Explore career school programs [http://school.holisticjunction.com/clickcount.php?id=6105114&goto=http://www.holisticjunction.com/search.cfm] near you.

Acupressure Certification Programs offered at Natural Healing Schools
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Massage Therapist - Should Gender Matter?

When one goes to a spa, health facility, or gym, one of the first things that the receptionist asks is, "Do you want a male therapist or a female therapist?". Although massage therapy is not a gender-specific career, still, the quantity of female therapists outnumbers the male population. In addition, there may be clients who are not concerned about the gender of the therapist, but there still are those who prefer female over the male therapists.

Common Reasons Why More Clients Prefer Women Therapists

- Female clients are more self-conscious about their bodies

- Some women tend to think that male massage therapists will take advantage

- Male clients who are homophobic do not want another male to touch their bodies

- Male clients find a woman's touch more sensual and pleasant

However, regardless of the gender, all massage therapists are trained about work ethics and the use of draping methods, thus, it should not be a big issue. In addition, some spa-goers are already familiar with the routine and understand that the massage therapist's skill is more important than gender.

How Gender Affects a Career in Massage Therapy

While there are clients who do not bother about the gender of the massage therapist, for would-be massage therapists, knowing how gender affects a career in this field is very important.

Gender Issues

In the US, the massage therapy industry is basically female dominated. Actually, according to studies, more than 80% of them are women. Although the number of male therapists has steadily increased in the last couple of years, still, more women are employed as therapists. For one, massage therapy is commonly perceived as a nurturing healing method and women have always been associated with the role of "nurturer". Likewise, because women's touch is softer and more sensual in nature, many clients find it is easier to relax when left in the "hands" of women.

Patient's Perception on the Therapist's Gender

It is true that some clients do not mind about the gender of the therapist, but there are still a big number of those who are uncomfortable when male massage therapists handle their bodies. Even male clients feel the same way. Because massage therapy involves skin to skin contact, people consider it as a very personal matter. Thus, when clients feel pressured or uncomfortable, their muscles tend to contract even more and they do not reap the full benefits of the massage.

This low level of comfort when it comes to being handled by male practitioners affects the number of clients they are able to handle, which translates to fewer options for them.

Problems and Issues that Therapists Encounter

Sexual harassment is a huge issue when it comes to this industry. There have been reports where female therapists were taken advantage of by male clients - touched inappropriately or spoken to in a lewd manner. In the same breath, some male therapists get reported by female customers who say they (customers) were sexually harassed and handled improperly by their therapists.

Job prospecting is another problem that male massage therapists deal with. Because of issues such as sexual harassment, male massage therapists find it more difficult to find employment than most women.

Gender Benefits

Not everything about the massage therapy industry for males is negative. Even though males have fewer job options in this industry, there are still some good things about being a massage therapist in a female-dominated industry.

Because men, in general, are stronger than women are, some modalities can easily be carried out by male massage therapists than women. One instance is working in a sports massage center or hospital, where patients are generally male and would need stronger pressure when it comes to the massages.

Another example is work that massage therapists find in hospitals such as the rehabilitation section and physical therapy section, where patients are more comfortable when being handled by male therapists.

Indeed, gender plays a major role when choosing massage therapists to perform their job on you. Patients must feel safe with a therapist and not stressed out or pressured about selecting the practitioner.

Deep Tissue Massage For Pain Relief

Deep tissue massage is a massage therapy technique wherein the inner muscle layers and the connective tissues are re-aligned. This type of therapy is highly beneficial for the contracted tissue muscles around the neck, lower back and shoulders. It heals stiff neck and lower back rigidity.

The massage strokes that are applied by the deep tissue massage therapists are similar to the traditional massage therapy. The only difference lies in the hand movement which is slower while the intensity of pressure is focused more on the pain stricken and tensed muscles. This particular massage therapy helps to break and eliminate the scar tissues. It concentrates on specific areas where the slower strokes and the deep direct pressure help in releasing the chronic muscle tension.

Normally a person suffering from chronic muscular tension and injury feels the pain emanating from adhesions which are bands of painful tight muscles and tendons. It is generally believed that adhesions block circulation, cause pain and inflammation while it also restricts a person's mobility. Deep tissue massage is recommended as the therapist physically kneads the adhesions and alleviates pain while helping to restore normal movement. To reach this objective, the deep tissue massage therapists often apply intense pressure or friction across the grain of the muscle. At times during the course of the massage, people may feel pain and associated discomfort. It is advisable in such cases to inform the massage therapist about the pain and soreness if it is beyond the comfort range.

Although slight stiffness or pain can be experienced after the deep tissue massage, the discomfort level normally subsides within a day or so. Often the massage therapist applies ice on the area which has been massaged. Deep tissue massage is also used for relaxation. The therapy is beneficial for persons recovering from injuries especially those which are sports generated, osteoarthritis, muscle spasms and postural problems. People suffering from osteoarthritis opt for this therapy as it is highly effective and often they notice remarkable improvement in their mobility immediately after the massage.

During deep tissue massage, the therapists use finger tips, knuckles, hand, elbows as well as the forearms. In the course of massaging, the therapist concentrates on muscles located below the top muscle layer as this is highly effective for people suffering from consistent pain. It is advisable to consume plenty of water once the massage is over to flush out metabolic waste from the tissues. At the start of deep tissue massage the person may want to breathe deeply since this action facilitates the process and relieves the tensed muscles.

Deep tissue massage might not be the best for certain types of people like heart patients or persons under the treatment of chemotherapy. Even for osteoporosis patients, prior consultation with the therapist is advisable. The massage therapist aims at relieving the pain from deeper tissue structures and the treatment can be more uncomfortable than the traditional massage.

However, people have to be realistic when contemplating undergoing this massage therapy. The deep tissue massage might not bring immediate relief from pain though many believe that if the therapist kneads hard on the pressure knots, they would get instant relief. This might not always happen as removing chronic knots and tension built-up over a lifetime is best achieved when the patient goes for an integrated program that includes exercise, improvement of posture, mobility enhancement, other relaxation techniques as well as regular deep tissue massage therapy.

Such duel program is really valuable for re-aligning the body. If the deep tissue massage is executed correctly, their benefits could be experienced within the next few days. As tensed muscles block oxygen and nutrients while building up toxin in the muscle tissues, this form of massage is recommended as it releases the toxin from the muscles as they are loosened up, thereby enabling the blood and oxygen to circulate properly.

The primary objective of deep tissue massage is to relax the muscle fibers and release the deeply held patterns of tension in order to soothe the tendon. The deep tissue massage therapy is corrective as well as therapeutic. The deep finger pressure and slow strokes on the tension ridden spots is a combination of touch, biomechanics and positioning options. The massage technique makes use of knuckles, fist, forearms and elbows to help in releasing pressure and tension from the deeper layers of the body.

Physiotherapy - Good Or Bad Career Choice?

I've been a physiotherapist for 6 years in Australia. In Australia, physiotherapy is very difficult to get into through a university. For instance, the TER score (score after you finish your high school certificate) was 93 in 2000. That was the third highest score to apply for through university. Now, you may think that the higher the difficulty to apply, the higher the prestige, income and satisfaction the job will be. You think so right? Wrong!

Let me tell you, physiotherapy or physical therapist as a career choice is not what you think. I came to think when doing the course I expect a high income and high levels of satisfaction, but from my experience and others this is totally wrong. I have friends who have been doing physiotherapy for more than 5 years who have changed careers because they thought physiotherapy will get them nowhere. I've been told by one of the board members of the physiotherapy association that there is no physiotherapist working full time in a private practice above 45. So it seems many physiotherapists are not satisfied with their career.

So why is it that many physiotherapists aren't satisfied with their careers? I can give you three good reasons.

First is the income. Our income is around $60-70k year on average, but the ceiling for physiotherapist to get is around $100-110k a year (which is rare) if working for someone or in the public sector. Now in the private sector (working in your own practice) you can make considerably more, about $100k or greater. But setting up and working in the private sector cost money and it is very expensive. You have to pay rent, equipment, labor and many other expenses. So in the end, you might not make much because of all the expenses.

Second is the level of satisfaction. You may think helping people get better makes you happier, it does. But there are many more people who don't get better. Also, the job that you do in physiotherapy is very monotonous it's either doing assessment, electrotherapy, exercises or hands on work (which I basically call massage). People who work as a physiotherapist will most likely have hand, wrist or back pain because the job requires you to do repetitive movements or awkward postures most of the time. For instance bending down to treat a patient on a bed,

Third is security. If you do extra courses or have masters degree to specialize in physiotherapy, most likely that won't guarantee you extra income or status. There is a lack of differentiation between an experienced physiotherapist or an inexperienced physiotherapist in terms of pay. Also, the future of physiotherapy as a profession is overtaken by other health professionals such as chiropractors and even nurses.

This is due to incompetence of the physiotherapy board and association of pushing our status in government and general public opinion into insignificance. It seems that the physiotherapy association has no lobbyist in the government or insurance industry thereby cutting our status as a health professional. For instance, insurances are cutting physiotherapist rates and services (for example HBA in the UK) as they see physiotherapy as not important. In the long term, physiotherapy as a profession will die out and overtaken by other health professionals.

So is physiotherapy a good or bad career choice? I say most definitely not a good career choice. But this is my opinion. If you want to get another person's opinion, see your physiotherapist or a person who is working in your career.

Chair Massage Techniques

Chair massage techniques are unique. Many massage therapists try to use traditional Swedish massage techniques when doing chair massage, but this kind of approach doesn't translate well to seated massage.

Swedish massage techniques largely consist of gliding strokes and this method is doesn't work well because chair massage is done over the clothing and no oils are used.

There are essentially six types of chair massage techniques:

1. Compression techniques: These are what you may think of as acupressure techniques and are the most commonly used chair massage techniques. The creator of the chair massage concept was trained in Amma massage, an ancient system of acupressure techniques and this style of massage is often used in chair massage technique training. These can be hard on the thumbs as they are typically used, especially since many trainers lack adequate knowledge in the application of these techniques. However, at Relax to the Max, students are taught to do these techniques safely with a great deal of emphasis on the biomechanics of the movements. As well, the thumbs are used very seldom used in the Relax to the Max chair massage techniques as other contact points are often used, including fists, the heels of the hands, knuckles, elbows and forearms.
   
   


2. Squeezing techniques: With these types of massage techniques, the practitioner squeezes the muscles between two contact points. These are often performed on large muscle groups and muscles that are not firmly attached to underlying structures. It is critical when doing these techniques to accurately identify the edges of the muscles and this is a big focus on training when learning to do these chair massage techniques at Relax to the Max.
   
   


3. Kneading techniques: These are circular movements. Like the other chair massage techniques we've already discussed, there are ways to do these techniques that put minimal stress on the body. Whereas most schools teach students how to do this with the thumbs, Relax to the Max utilizes unique contact points like the elbows and pisiforms when doing these techniques to save your thumbs and to reduce the amount of effort.
   
   


4. Percussion: These stimulating techniques are what many people refer to as karate chops. When applied properly these percussive chair massage techniques feel great. Customers often report that this is the favorite part of their seated massage experience.
   
   


5. Friction techniques: This is an adaptation of traditional Swedish style movements and are used occasionally in the chair.
   
   


6. Gliding techniques: Although not performed frequently, there are times when these can be used effectively. At Relax to the Max you learn when these kinds of chair massage techniques are indicated.

Physical Therapy for Back Pain

Back pain is considered a symptom of advancing age due to wear and tear changes in the joints that eventually involves ligaments and muscles. Although, the spinal muscles are designed to sustain contraction and pressure for longer period of time without getting fatigued, with advancing age and some systemic or organic diseases, the capacity of back muscles to sustain pressure decreases, leading to the symptoms of back pain with activity.

The cause of backache largely depends on the level of activity and the age of individuals. In old age, degenerative bone diseases, osteopenia or osteoporosis (de-mineralized bones) and compression vertebral fractures are the most common causes of backache. In younger individuals non-traumatic causes are mostly trivial that resolves spontaneously, without leaving any significant morbidity or disability.

Associated factors of backache normally help in pointing to the cause/ diagnosis of backache. Backache along with sharp and shooting pain down the legs indicate sciatica. Limited range of motion of spine indicates degenerative diseases or inflammatory joint conditions that cause stiffness of joints. Involvement of bowel or bladder indicates a more neurogenic cause. Sometimes presence of one or more of the symptoms suggest the co-existence of a multi-factorial issue like long standing arthritic changes in spine that can lead to spinal stenosis that will eventually cause neural abnormalities.

If you are experiencing chronic backache for at least a period of 2 weeks or longer in the absence of any trauma or injury, you must see a healthcare provider. Physical therapy provides relief in almost all the cases of backache; however, you must first determine the primary cause or etiology of your backache.

Generally physical therapy exercises helps in regulating normal circulation that promotes healing regardless of the type of injury. Physical therapy exercises for relieving backache are normally directed towards three basic goals: aerobic conditioning, stretching and strengthening.

Aerobic conditioning or high impact or vigorous physical activity should not be performed by individuals who have back-pain. However, in order to improve the stability and functioning of back muscles, low impact exercises are extremely helpful. These include swimming, yoga, cycling and brisk walking. Low impact exercises and aerobic conditioning help in detoxification of tissues that decrease the formation of free radicals and reactive oxygen species. Free radicals damage the tissues and delay the natural healing process.

Stretching exercises normally deal with the exercises involving hamstring muscles of the thigh. Moreover stretching exercises of the back region help in the realignment of ligaments by reducing the stress and tension on back muscles and improving blood supply to clear toxins from the tissues.

Exercises that employ strengthening of back muscles require low impact, high energy exercises by following the recommendation and exercises suggested by physical therapists. Strong back muscles provide support to the vertebral bodies, nerves and blood vessels.

TENS Units for Electrotherapy is also one of the very popularly used methods to relieve backache. Physiotherapists use the TENS technique that helps in relieving backache by releasing trans-cutaneous electrical nerve signals which reduces the perception of the brain to the nerve pain associated with backache.

Experts also suggest massaging and application of warm compresses (in the lumbar vertebral region) to be very effective and soothing for relieving backache. Warm compresses (via a hot water bottle) and massaging (with the help of certain massaging devices or experienced massage therapists) improves the blood circulation that helps in the wash-off the inflammatory and pain causing mediators and also ensure healthy recovery of spinal tissue, vertebrae and ligaments.