Staying In-Touch Newsletter (Exciting news from Dan & Roxie)

Roxie and I are very excited to share some great news with you! A Healing Touch Massage and A Healing Touch Massage for the Workplace have a new sibling... A Healing Touch Clinical Bodywork.

Through A Healing Touch Clinical Bodywork we are now offering full medical massage therapy services. Many of you have seen glimpses of this work as we've incorporated some of it into our regular massage sessions but this is much more than therapeutic massage. These sessions will begin with a more detailed health history intake and assessment of whatever has caused you to make the appointment. We'll then move into specific treatment techniques designed to alleviate pain, rehabilitate the area of injury and increase mobility.

For these appointments we'll ask you to remain clothed in a cotton T-shirt and loose fitting pants or shorts to make it easier for you to move on the table and to get up and move to see how the treatment is helping. Sessions will also include joint mobilization (movement) and stretching as necessary. You will also be given exercises to do between sessions to further the effectiveness of the treatment.

Although we are not accepting insurance assignment at this time, your insurance provider may reimburse you for a portion of the treatment costs, especially if you have a prescription or letter of referral from your healthcare provider stating that this treatment is medically necessary. We will provide you with all the necessary documentation to submit your insurance claim.

Exciting news item number two! Our website has undergone a facelift. We've lightened the background and added a page that goes into more detail on the clinical bodywork. There's some new information on our "About Us" page describing the differences between Relaxation Massage, Wellness Massage and Medical Massage as well as some updating on other pages.

We've also added a "Links" page where we'll be adding businesses that are either client-owned or that we do business with and have been very well treated. If you are a business owner and you'd like to be included on this page, give me a call at 480-215-9471. It's part of our ever expanding networking efforts.

You'll also see some new pricing on the website-not to worry-if you have had table massage from us before your price will remain the same. But after six years we are making a modest price increase for all new clients. For a limited time we are also offering a new client first session discount coupon on the website.

Now would be a great time to refer a friend for a massage. They'll receive $10.00 off their first massage and after their session we'll send you a $5.00 thank you coupon to be used on your next massage. Share it with a couple-they save $20.00 and you earn $10.00.

Exciting news item number three! We've added an online appointment booking option to our website. Now you can go to our website and click on the "booknow" icon and it will take you to a new window where you begin by picking the service you want, then choosing the therapist, then the appointment time. When using this service for couples' massage be sure to either book both therapists for the same appointment times or to choose 2 appointment times for receiving massage one after the other from the same therapist. Online scheduling must be done at least 24 hours in advance.

Along with the online gift certificates this is another convenience to make it as easy as possible to connect with you for a massage. Of course you're always welcome to call us and schedule over the phone too.

Exciting news item number four! We are finally on Facebook. Become our fan by going to www.facebook.com and entering A Healing Touch Massage Arizona. We look forward to using this medium to stay in touch. Let us know what you're doing between massages and we'll keep you up to date on the latest happenings with us as well.

Enjoy this issue of the newsletter as you begin your holiday preparations!

The Placebo Effect: In the Spine as Well as the Mind

By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters)

It's not all in the mind--the so-called placebo effect is real and reaches right down to the spine, German scientists said in October.

The finding may help in the hunt for better ways to tackle pain and other disorders.

Using modern imaging technology the researchers found that simply believing a pain treatment is effective actually dampens pain signaling in a region of the spinal cord called the dorsal horn, suggesting a powerful biological mechanism is at work.

"It is deeply rooted in very, very early areas of the central nervous system. That definitely speaks for a strong effect," lead researcher Falk Eippert of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf told Reuters.

Eippert and colleagues used functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, to study changes in spinal cord activity.

They applied painful heat to the arms of 15 healthy men and compared the spinal cord responses when they thought they had been treated with either an anesthetic cream or a placebo.

Both creams, in fact, were inactive but the fMRI scans showed nerve activity was reduced significantly when subjects believed they were getting the anesthetic.

The ability of sham medicines with no active ingredient to produce real clinical benefits has long perplexed doctors and frustrated drugmakers.

Patients are typically given either an experimental drug or a dummy in clinical trials and the fact that those on placebo often get better, too, makes it hard to determine whether a new drug is working.

The placebo effect is particularly strong when treating central nervous system conditions, like depression and pain.

Traditionally, experts have viewed the effect as psychological, but the new German research is the latest in a growing body of evidence that there is an important physical component.

Just what turns down pain signaling in the spine when a placebo is given is unclear, although Eippert suspects a range of chemicals including natural opioids, noradrenaline and serotonin may be involved.

Writing in the journal Science, Eippert and colleagues said their work "opens up new avenues for assessing the efficacy and possible site of action of new treatments for various forms of pain, including chronic pain."

The word placebo comes from the Latin for "I shall please.

The 9 Keys to Self-Healing

By Friedemann Schaub, MD, PhD

After studying the human body and mind from all different "angles" for almost two decades, it became very clear to me that we all have an unlimited capacity to heal and change.

However, most of us have not learned yet how to access this self-healing power or even trust or believe in such a potential.

The following 9 keys are an opportunity for you to explore and utilize your natural ability to heal. Whether you are currently dealing with a physical, emotional or mental challenge and receiving medical treatment or not, these 9 keys will allow you to access your self-healing potential and accelerate the healing process. There is really nothing you can do wrong - just do it and enjoy.

1. Focus on health and healing rather than dis-ease.
Remember that you are not your disease - your disease has been "created" by your body and the body can "uncreate" it as well.

2. Find good reasons why you want to heal.
The more incentives / motivations you come up with, the better. Pay attention to the small "stuff" that makes life worth living (e.g. a hug from a friend, a wonderful meal, a beautiful sunset, the kindness of a loved one, the joy of being there for somebody etc.).

3. Give specific "orders" to your body and your mind for what you want it to do.
For example: If you have pain, tell the body to create ease and comfort; if you are dealing with a tumor, tell your body to let it "melt" away; if you have emotional challenges, tell your mind and body to create inner peace, harmony etc.

4. See the disease as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Identify the metaphors of the illness - if the illness had a message for your, what would it be. Notice the messages of the symptoms you are dealing with - sometimes symptoms can be taken very literally ("pain in the neck", "heaviness in the stomach", "stiffness in the joints"). Also search for significant emotional events, traumas or inner conflicts that were preceding the illness. Find ways to heal these conflicts and emotions so that your unconscious mind and body are not pre-occupied and can focus on physical healing (for example through Time Line Therapy, NLP, Hypnotherapy, Counseling, Energy healing etc.).

5. Use visualizations and creative imagery to stimulate your self-healing potential.
If you are taking medication, include what you would like your body to do with the medication (e.g. maximum effect without side-effects). Books and tapes by Dr. Bernie Siegel, the pioneer on using visualization to heal, are a great resource.

6. Never give up hope and faith.
Always look for evidence that you can heal and are healing. Avoid listening to or "buying into" negative prognosis, statistics... Surround yourself with positive people, positive life and health affirming messages.

7. Use meditation and relaxation exercises on a daily basis.
Meditation and relaxation have been shown to be very beneficial to treat chronic pain, migraines, hypertension and other chronic illnesses. Relaxing the mind and the body also activates our immune system. Even 10 minutes per day will make an enormous difference. A great way to start is to simply find a quite and peaceful place, sit back and focus simply on your breath. After one to two minutes start inhaling for 5 seconds, hold the breath for 5 seconds and then exhale for 5 seconds. You can gradually increase the times to 20 seconds. The effects of this Kundalini Yoga breathing meditation are immediate and 5 minutes of this breathwork replaces 30 minutes of sleep. Other great alternatives to aid relaxation are self-hypnosis CDs, which directly stimulate the subconscious mind, massage and other body work etc.

8. Give your body proper nutrition and sufficient rest.
Healing occurs when our body is well rested and well nurtured. Consult your physician, naturopathic doctor, nutritionist or herbologist to find the proper way to nutritionally support your body.

9. Feed your body with joy, harmony and laughter.
Extensive research has shown how the enormous healing benefits of joy and laughter. In 1976 the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine published an article by Norman Cousins, who was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (also known as Bechterew Disease) a painful inflammation of the spine. His case was so severe that he was given a very dim prognosis. Realizing that negative thoughts and attitudes can result in illness, Norman Cousins believed that positive thoughts and attitudes may have the opposite effect. He left the hospital and checked into a hotel where he took high doses of vitamin C and watched funny movies and shows. He found that ten minutes of laughter resulted in several hours of pain-free rest. He continued this "treatment" until he recovered. Cousins proved that laughter is a very effective medicine and added another important piece of evidence to the power of the mind-body connection.
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About The Author
Friedemann Schaub, MD, PhD is the founder of Cellular Widsom Inc. a Mind-Body Healing Center, based in Seattle, Washington.

Dr. Schaub pursued a career in cardiology at Munich University Hospital and received a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Washington in Seattle. During more than 15 years of practice and research in the medical field, he found that emotional balance and activation of the mind-body connection are the keys to health, well-being and success. Dr. Schaub developed an accelerated Personal Breakthrough Program, which combines mind-activating technologies such as, Clinical Hypnotherapy, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Time Line TherapyTM with his broad background in medicine and biology. The Personal Breakthrough Program is specifically designed to help eliminate any emotional and mental obstacles that prevent us from doing, having or changing what we want. Dr. Schaub offers Personal Breakthrough Sessions in person as well as over the phone.

Article Source: Expert Articles

Take Care of Your Body--You Only Get One!

Oftentimes we take our bodies for granted. We aren't always careful about the fuel we put in them. We don't give them adequate hydration. We don't exercise them properly. We don't give them sufficient downtime. We stress them out. And then we expect them to perform like the finely tuned machine they are and we get frustrated when they don't perform or worse yet, breakdown.

Have you stopped to think that improving your physical and emotional state cannot be accomplished with just one massage? You wouldn't go to the gym just once, visit the doctor or chiropractor just once, meditate just once, get a haircut just once, or even brush your teeth just once, so why would we think massage would be any different?

Like anything else, you need to commit to making your massage sessions a part of your regular routine in order to achieve the optimal results you're looking for. With a regular massage regimen you'll notice significant changes in your mental, spiritual, and physical well being. If you felt better after one massage session, imagine how you'll feel after three or more sessions!

We are always asked, "How often should I receive massage?" Our answer will vary depending upon the issues that you are facing. If you are recovering from an injury we may recommend multiple sessions in a two to three week period followed by more of a maintenance schedule. Even that maintenance will vary with each individual but usually it is weekly, twice a month or monthly. If you are experiencing chronic ongoing pain or restricted range of motion (ROM) we will also encourage sessions closer together to begin with and spaced out as the condition improves. If you are experiencing a high degree of stress (and today who isn't?) a regular massage can go a long ways toward improving your coping skills thereby making life much more palatable.

Whatever is going on in your life regular massage can help you to deal with it more effectively.

3 Ways to Boost Your Energy

By Gerald Fitz

We live in a fast-paced stressful world. Many people are overworked, over-stressed, and have a hard time finding the energy that they need to keep going.

Here are a few tips to help you boost your energy level:

1.    Get Enough Sleep. When there is a lot to do and not enough time to do it, many people start to cut down on the hours of sleep that they get each night. This is a big mistake if you want to maintain high energy levels. Instead of cutting back on sleep, try to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.

Another aspect of sleep that is often overlooked is the time of night that you fall asleep. It is far better for your body to go to sleep before 10pm than it is to sleep from 2am to 10am, for instance. This is due to the fact that your body functions in hormonal cycles that follow the natural pattern of light and darkness throughout the day. If you are too out of sync with this natural pattern, you will feel out of sync when you wake up in the morning.

2.    Breathe. Chances are you are reading this article because you work long hours and need to reduce stress in your life. One of the best steps you can take to immediately boost your energy is to simply breathe. It is interesting to note that in Chinese medicine, qi ("chi"), is considered to be the "life-force" and is closely tied to the concept of breath. One of the ways that qi is generated in the body is by breathing deeply.

Sit upright to open up your diaphragm and breathe deeply for 5 minutes. Focus on filling your lungs to capacity slowly then releasing each breath slowly. It is surprising how quickly this will improve your energy level and calm your nerves.

3.    Focus on foods that improve energy levels. Have you ever desperately needed energy and turned to a sugary drink or candy bar to get the boost that you need, only to crash a little while later with less energy than before? This probably sounds familiar. It is the most common side-effect of turning to excess sugar for a short-term energy boost.

Avoid excess sugar - For a true sustained boost in energy you need to avoid excess sugar, particularly high-fructose corn syrup, which is added to a surprising number of products to make them more palatable.

Focus on protein - Insufficient protein is a common cause of fatigue. One excellent way to improve your protein intake is to use a good Whey Protein supplement. Whey Protein is an all-natural byproduct of dairy so it is easy to digest. The isolate variety has 90% protein content, so it is a very cost-effective supplement. It is low in calories and high in protein, the perfect combination for a daily energy boost.

Drink adequate water - Get back to the basics. Low energy levels are very often attributed to not drinking enough water.

Take a good multivitamin - A good multivitamin is an excellent source of B vitamins, which have been shown to help in reducing stress.

Article source: Expert Articles

For many this has been (and continues to be) a very trying year. Major lifestyle adjustments may have rocked your world.

It's at times like this that gratefulness may be hard to come by. Yet at the crossroads of negativity/bitterness and gratefulness/hope we must choose the later as gratefulness is an essential element of health and well being.

This Thanksgiving take some time to create a list of ten things for which you are grateful. Then each day remember to express that gratefulness, either through prayer or meditation or simply by sharing with another that you are grateful. It will change your outlook as you head into the holidays.

Yours for better health,

A Healing Touch Massage

SAVE $25.00

November/December Special!

To Help You into the Holiday Spirit!

Purchase any massage between now and December 15 at the regular price*, and save $25.00 on your next massage by prepaying at that time. We'll also extend this offer to gift certificates purchased with your massage.

Please mention that you want to take advantage of the November/December Special Offer when you call to schedule your appointment!

Please share this special offer with your friends and family! Simply forward this newsletter to them. (Link just below this box)

* $80.00 for a 60-minute massage, $110.00 for a 90-minute massage. $20.00 travel fee to locations west of I-17 and north of Loop 101. Offer may not be combined with package pricing.

Visit our website at: A Healing Touch Massage

Offer Expires: December 15, 2009 LIMIT: Two (2) Special Offers per visit