Massage Stuff... with Running
I found lots of very interesting reseach on massage and the effects of touch for a monthly e-newsletter I plan to send out to all my clients. It might be kinda boring but I think it's fasinating.
The top researcher on how touch effects humans is Dr. Tiffany Fields and she has been quite prolific in this regard. The topics of her research are vast and you could click here to read titles and articles (abstracts). I read some of these. Check out numbers 1,8,9,12,16,28,32,31,41. Some of the studies include how massage effects weight gain in premee babys; how massage effects the dopamine and seratonin levels in pregnant women and mothers with depression; how massage effects these same neuro-chemicals in adults, how massage effects ADD and learning disabled kids, and many other studies involving the effects of touch on various segments of the population.
As I was reading through these studies I had this image of many different sized thristy plants being watered and those plants coming to life, turning towards the light and starting to thrive. I wonder what it is about touch that makes it so powerful? Is it intention? Love? Why touch produces the changes it does in people of any age or condition is so amazing. The biological processes that bring about these great changes can be explained in great detail and that only makes the whole process even more fantastic, even more miraculous. Oftentimes I work on people with the thought in mind that I am "fixing" something and that by applying certain techniques to their "problem" I will change it. I'll fix it like a mechanic. Fix that neck that won't turn or a back that won't bend or legs that won't run. Those things do get better. But something else is happening when we touch. Metaphysical Stuff. Magical Stuff. Truely awesome stuff. I could go on and on, and maybe I should so this would be more coherent and not be just a brief phert. Maybe more later on this.
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Yesterday's long run was great. 11.5 or so miles in two hours. I finished my 10 mile out and back in 1:45 and jogged the last 15 minutes.
My coach, Gail Leveque, placed 19th in her age group (45-48) at Kona with a time of 12:07:20.
Wow...she's tough.
Happy Running!
The top researcher on how touch effects humans is Dr. Tiffany Fields and she has been quite prolific in this regard. The topics of her research are vast and you could click here to read titles and articles (abstracts). I read some of these. Check out numbers 1,8,9,12,16,28,32,31,41. Some of the studies include how massage effects weight gain in premee babys; how massage effects the dopamine and seratonin levels in pregnant women and mothers with depression; how massage effects these same neuro-chemicals in adults, how massage effects ADD and learning disabled kids, and many other studies involving the effects of touch on various segments of the population.
As I was reading through these studies I had this image of many different sized thristy plants being watered and those plants coming to life, turning towards the light and starting to thrive. I wonder what it is about touch that makes it so powerful? Is it intention? Love? Why touch produces the changes it does in people of any age or condition is so amazing. The biological processes that bring about these great changes can be explained in great detail and that only makes the whole process even more fantastic, even more miraculous. Oftentimes I work on people with the thought in mind that I am "fixing" something and that by applying certain techniques to their "problem" I will change it. I'll fix it like a mechanic. Fix that neck that won't turn or a back that won't bend or legs that won't run. Those things do get better. But something else is happening when we touch. Metaphysical Stuff. Magical Stuff. Truely awesome stuff. I could go on and on, and maybe I should so this would be more coherent and not be just a brief phert. Maybe more later on this.
*************************************************************************************
Yesterday's long run was great. 11.5 or so miles in two hours. I finished my 10 mile out and back in 1:45 and jogged the last 15 minutes.
My coach, Gail Leveque, placed 19th in her age group (45-48) at Kona with a time of 12:07:20.
Wow...she's tough.
Happy Running!
posted by Richard Maas LMT, MTI at 5:32 AM
3 Comments:
Well done on that long run!
How does massage affect those drumming hands?
massage and drumming offset each other well. massage requires lots of hand flexion, drumming requires using the wrist extensor muscles much more than massage and more fine motor control or the fingers. they offer a nice compliment to each other.
Good job on the running.
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