Mary Barry Massage Therapy » Uncategorized

An Extraordinary Gift – Prove It

mary — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:02:40 +0000

Has the renowned Mayo Clinic studied the benefits of gifting, let’s say, electronic items, jewelry or clothes? – No.

Has the prestigious Mayo Clinic confirmed the many health benefits of receiving a massage? – YES.

When you give a Massage Gift , you help someone live without headaches, move without pain, sleep better, feel less anxious and more energized.

Did I say ‘Massage is an extraordinary gift”?

To prove it, simply check out what the Mayo Clinic has to say about massage benefits: http://bit.ly/DwWH6

New Study Reinforces Benefits of Massage Therapy

mary — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:16:01 +0000

Study provides evidence about benefits of massage therapy

It was used after the attacks of Sept. 11.

It was used after Hurricane Katrina.

Now, Cindy Carlson-Wilson is seeing it used in the wake of the May 22 Joplin tornado.

And a new study by Seattle’s Group Health Research Institute reinforces that it actually provides significant relief. Massage therapy, when coupled with traditional medical treatment, relieves back pain and calms the central nervous system.

“After a disaster, people react differently,” said Carlson-Wilson from her business, Massage for Health Center on West Third Street, earlier this week. “Some people hold emotions in, which causes them to tense up and creates stress. That leads to muscles that are sore and painful.”

Carlson-Wilson, a licensed massage therapist for 17 years, knows about stress people have endured as a result of the tornado: Not only has it brought more clients to her business, her two children lost their homes and everything they owned.

“They lived in a duplex on Byers. Our daughter and her fiance were in one half, and our son and his wife were in the other half,” Carlson-Wilson said. “They went through a lot, and although they’re physically OK, they are faced with rebuilding their lives.”

Others, she said, face mental and emotional stress because they lost a church or place of employment.

“And still others are carrying stress because they have people living with them who have no place else to go,” she said. “Then there are those who didn’t lose anything, but were impacted because they lost their town, or there may be a sense of guilt because others are hurting.”

Her clients have included a woman who spent days digging through the rubble trying to save what she could and experienced aches and pain and anxiety as a result, and a man who is helping to rebuild his church and pulled a muscle in his back.

But the feel-good feeling clients had after their massages weren’t so much about luxurious pampering, but the biological changes that occur as a result.

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles found that adults who received deep tissue and light massage showed significant decreases in the stress hormone cortisol, among other things. The Seattle study, published recently by the Annals of Internal Medicine, showed massage recipients spent fewer days in bed, were more active and took fewer medications.

The latest survey from the American Hospital Association indicates the medical community is on board: The number of hospitals offering massage increased by more than one-third from 2004 to 2006.

While more Americans than ever are seeking massages Ñ one in six last year, or 25 million more than 10 years ago, according to the American Massage Therapy Association Ñ Carlson-Wilson emphasized that there is no blanket approach to reducing soreness or stress.

“I treat people when they come in, as they come in. We find what we find, and then we decide how to treat it,” she said. “If they come in and we find a lot, it’s their choice on whether to do it once or continue.”

How quickly a person feels better also varies.

“If they’ve had it for weeks or months, it’s likely not going to go away with one session,” said Carlson-Wilson. “It all depends on age, length of time they’ve had it, whether it’s just an overall tightness, the area of body and the specific muscles involved.”

Mary Barry Massage Bike Team

mary — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:55:10 +0000

Mary Barry Massage Bike Team is sponsoring their first Fund Raiser ride. All benefits will support the Soule Homestead’s educational programs. Everyone has been training hard. Spring/Summer weather has afforded us some strong 30 to 100 mile training rides. Female members have enjoyed training/increasing speeds on the new Specialized Amira!

Our Soule Homestead Benefit Ride will start promptly at 8:00a.m. on Saturday, August 13th. Riders can choose between a 30mile or 50 mile ride.

Ride for a great cause then enjoy a barbecue picnic in Soule’s scenic fields.

Wish to join us? Simply contact Mary: marybarry@marybarry.com

Registration: $20.00

Soule Homestead: 46 Soule Street, Middleboro, MA 02346

Start Time: 8:00a.m.

After Party: Barbecue picnic

T-Shirts/Hats: Free to first 30 registered riders

Insomnia, can’t focus – Have a massage

mary — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:10:30 +0000

Hello, dreams

Fluctuations in several types of brain waves either relax you or wake you up. Massage increases delta waves — those linked with deep sleep — according to Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine. That’s why it’s easy to drift off on the massage table, Field says.

Nice to have you back, brain power

The Touch Research Institute study that connected massage to sleep also found that a 15-minute chair massage boosted alertness. “Subjects reported that it felt like a runner’s high,” Field says. Tests also show that brain-wave activity stimulated by massage is linked to improved attention.

Let our tranquil setting and skilled therapists help increase your ability to focus and improve your sleep patterns.

Call (508) 923 0044 today

Dads Need Massage Too

mary — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:58:30 +0000

Surprise Dad with a gift certificate to Mary Barry Massage Therapy
- as rejuvenating as a mini-vacation

Our effective therapy and tranquil setting will melt his stress away.

Show him you care about his well-being!

Our Gift To You

$10 off coupon with each gift certificate purchase

(Thru’ June 25th 2011)

Convenient ways to purchase a gift certificate:

Contact us via telephone at 508-923-0044
Email us at marybarry@marybarry.com

Massage is Immune System’s Best Friend

mary — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:48:07 +0000

Take that, colds

Massage helps ward off bugs by boosting your “natural killer cells,” the immune system’s first line of defense against invading illness. “We know that cortisol destroys natural killer cells,” says Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine. “Therefore, since massage decreases cortisol, your immune cells get a boost.” Massage even seems to boost immunity in those people with severely compromised immune systems.

Call (508) 923-0044 to schedule your appointment. Allow your body to reach optimal health.

Massage beats depression

mary — Fri, 27 May 2011 17:33:32 +0000

Blues, be gone

Less cortisol and more serotonin and dopamine in your system may also mean less stress, anxiety, and depression. “We know that the right side of the frontal lobe of the brain is more active when we’re sad, and the left side’s activated when we’re happy,” says Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine. “Our studies have observed that massage decreases activity in the right lobe and increases functioning in the left.” The well-being people feel after a massage is a big reason why some hospitals offer it to anxious patients preparing for surgery and cancer patients going through chemo.

Here at Mary Barry Massage Therapy, we provide effective treatments for stress and pain management.

Don’t wait, call today to schedule your appointment. You’ll be glad you did.

Wave “Goodbye” to pain with massage

mary — Thu, 26 May 2011 13:41:43 +0000

Having your honey rub your back is sweet, but it’s tough to compete with the hands of a pro. A good massage therapist can make you feel like a new person. And now research suggests massage can ease insomnia, boost immunity, prevent PMS, and more. Maybe that’s why hospitals are making it a standard therapy.

“All of our surgery patients are offered the treatment — I call it ‘service with a smile’ — and it’s a mandatory weekly prescription I give myself,” says Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., director of the Cardiovascular Institute at New York Presbyterian Hospital–Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and a member of the board at LLuminari, a health-education company.

Our advice: Enjoy your hands-on time with your sweetie, but set aside some time for a real massage, too. Here are some feel-good reasons:

Goodbye, pain

It sounds like a no-brainer, but rubdowns are especially effective for aches like low-back pain. Researchers at the Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle, Washington, found that massage works better than common treatments including chiropractic therapy and acupuncture. It’s not clear why, but several studies show massage reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol while boosting the feel-good hormones serotonin and dopamine. Those changes slow your heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and block your nervous system’s pain receptors. Massage also increases blood flow to the muscles, which may help them heal.

A bonus: Massage also seems to ease distress from migraine, labor pain, and even cancer, as well as the body tenderness seen with fibromyalgia, says Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Plus, the benefits may last as long as a year after just a few treatments, says Partap Khalsa, Ph.D., a chiropractor and a program officer at the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the agency funding many major studies on massage.

Visit us at Mary Barry Massage Therapy. We provide effective massage treatments for pain and stress management.

Get the most from your next massage

mary — Tue, 17 May 2011 13:03:56 +0000

* Before the session, give your massage therapist accurate health information and share your expectations.

* Your massage therapist will probably use oils or lotions to decrease friction on your skin. If you have allergies, tell your massage therapist.

* Music might be played during your massage session. If you find music distracting, let your massage therapist know your preferences. The same goes for talking during your session.

* Report any discomfort you experience during the massage session, whether it’s physical or has something to do with the environment.

* Provide your massage therapist feedback during the massage concerning pressure and speed of hand movement, for example.

* Discuss any apprehensions you have about massage therapy with your massage therapist. Remember, your massage therapist is a professional who is dedicated to the profession.

* Remember, too, the therapeutic benefits of massage are cumulative, so the more often you get a massage, the better you will feel and the more quickly your body will respond.

These helpful hints are highlighted by the American Massage Therapy Association.

The Mini-Vacation Effect of a Massage

mary — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:48:05 +0000

Take a mini vacation – Schedule a massage!

A mini vacation has never been more affordable.

Take an hour for yourself and experience that carefree vacation feeling. Unwind in our tranquil setting. Leave your work stress, economy stress, home-schedule stress and any other type of stress behind.

Our massages can alleviate back pain, headaches, fatigue, sore muscles leaving you refreshed and rejuvenated.

No long lines at airports. Just call (508) 923 0044 today and discover a wonderful alternative to an expensive vacation.

You deserve it!

Mary Barry Massage Therapy
106 West Grove Street
Middleboro
(508) 923 0044
www.marybarry.com