The Value of Touch

Touch is a valuable ally in the quest for physical and mental health. It not only can help you be more in tune with your body, but it can help create a sense of wellness and "wholeness" that is often lost in our segmented, overscheduled lives. When we regain that connection, it is much easier to remember that our bodies are loved, not belittled, betrayed, and forgotten.

Valuable for every age and every body type, massage and bodywork have innumerable benefits. Here are a few:

• Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion.
• Assist with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers and shorten maternity hospital stays.
• Decrease medication dependence.
• Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body's natural defense system.
• Exercise and stretch weak, tight, or atrophied muscles.
• Help athletes of any level prepare for, and recover from, strenuous workouts.
• Improve the condition of the body's largest organ—the skin.
• Increase joint flexibility.
• Ease depression and anxiety.
• Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks.
• Improve circulation by pumping oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs.
• Reduce post surgery adhesions and swelling.
• Reduce spasms and cramping.
• Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.
• Release endorphins— the body's natural painkiller.
• Relieve migraine pain.