Massage School
Which friend doesn't love to pass time away chitchatting while receiving a massage? Which boyfriend doesn't love to spend some quality time giving his girlfriend a backrub? In any situation that it's possible, we love to give and get massages.
However, when we join the real world where the job takes over, girlfriend gossip gatherings become rare, and the boyfriend, who has now become the husband, doesn't have the time to rub your back, the stress adds up. The fact is, our youthful, relatively stress-free lives and bodies were not in need of fixing yet, and massage was a fun and pleasant pastime in those days.
As adults, massage is something that we not only desire, but oftentimes require as therapy. So, along with college graduation comes the massage graduation: leaving the amateur hands of friends and family behind in exchange for the trained and professional touch of the masseuse. A masseuse, trained in massage school, not only has the magical fingers that make for a good, productive massage, but also has the knowledge to make for a good, productive massage.
To reach the professional level, massage therapists go through intense courses to be certified. There are two main categories a future masseuse must consider when looking at massage schools. First is the choice of school itself. There are important factors that should be considered when choosing to study in general, but massage school takes special consideration, as it falls into the realm of therapy and, thus, healthcare. The second factor to consider is what the massage therapist will study once at massage school. Massage school helps the potential massage therapist specify and choose his path within the hundreds of existing massage techniques. If and when one is considering certification for massage therapy, take the time to decipher the options.
Finding the right environment is something that humans need from the womb on. The right niche continues to be just as important when, as adults, we choose our own paths and destinies. And thus, the environment of the massage school you will choose is no different. First of all, the ambiance and the location should suit your personality. If you can only fall asleep to the lull of a screaming Doppler-effecting ambulance and local party animals stumbling home at wee hours of the morning, you won't do well at a Vermont nature retreat location. Choose a setting that you will feel comfortable in. After all, we are happier, we are bound to be more productive.
The staff is another important factor to consider. The staff should consist of well trained teachers, with at least some years of clinical experience. While the staff's credentials are important, the schools credentials are just as important. Be sure that the school's certification will be well received and respected in the areas you hope to practice. In addition to having a good staff, there should be sufficient staff: the teacher/student ratio should be minimal. Be sure that the school offers the student ample practice, including training and experience on the field. Assess both the courses offered and the grading styles. If they fit with your likes and abilities (for example, you prefer more hands-on work rather than theory), that is a good sign.
The curriculum offered by a massage school will, even after you've chosen your school, prove to be of utmost importance. The curriculum and courses available will, essentially, lead you on your career path. Within massage therapy, there are over 200 techniques. Through your courses, you must decide which techniques appeal to you most, which make most sense, and which you will want to work with in the future. The techniques you will choose to specialize in will become your field, and not only you must feel comfortable with the choice, but you must make your patients feel comfortable when they are in your care. Thus, the curriculum, which can lead you from courses in Polarity Therapy to Hydrotherapy, is the labyrinth which, in the end, puts you on your path.
Massage therapy involves much more than giving a simple backrub. Training and education are needed to produce a capable and effective massage therapist. Massage is nature's best method of healing for both the body and mind, but nature needs a good medium to work her charms. This medium is the massage therapist, and when well trained in a massage school of high caliber, the patient will be very pleased with nature's charms.

About the Author: Marina Petroni researched and wrote this article on the subject massage school for http://www.nmsnt.org/. Please place an active link to http://www.nmsnt.org (Massage School) when you decide to publish this article.


Rosemary - A New Treatment For Low Blood Pressure?
Rudolf Weiss, the German herbalist, has some interesting ideas on low blood pressure. He describes it as being simply an aspect of a more deep seated problem. He also believes that when people have low blood pressure but no symptoms, that it does not require treatment. I do not suggest that this should replace your doctor's advice though! But I find it interesting, as a possible complementary treatment option, to consider his view that low blood pressure is the product of a weak circulation. As such, gentle herbs that support circulation may be a useful adjunct to whatever other therapy is suggested.
He stresses the underlying factor of a regulatory imbalance. And he suggests herbs like rosemary, that have a tonic effect, would be a useful support. Particularly in times of mental or physical stress, or after surgery, or some other illness that may have weakened the body, like the flu. He does say that treatment should only be for a limited time. He makes the point that life insurance statistics indicate that people with hypotension on average live longer than people with blood pressure in the normal range. (Weiss, p185)
Rosemary is quite a diverse herb. It is used effectively for headaches, particularly migraine. The herbalist Michael Tierra writes that many headaches are caused by stomach problems, and that the volatile oils in rosemary have a very beneficial and calming effect on the stomach. Rosemary also contains salicylic acid, which is the precursor of aspirin. Though being in plant form it doesn't have the long term side effects.
Rosemary is excellent for the circulation, and is often prescribed by herbalists for circulatory weakness (Fisher & Painter). The active constituents known as the flavanoids are heart and blood vessel tonics. So, as well as hypotension, rosemary is suggested for poor circulation, hypertensive headaches, and arrhythmias.
Externally, rosemary spirit is used for rheumatic problems (Weiss). It can also be massaged into the heart area.
Another active constituent of rosemary is rosemarinic acid, which is a phenolic acid. Rosemarinic acid has an anti-inflammatory effect. A study found that a rosemarinic preparation was effective in treating allergic asthma. It has also been found to suppress synovitis in mice. Synovitis is an inflammation of the lining of the joints, with swelling, which is quite painful. It is involved in rheumatoid arthritis. Rosemarinic acid can also prevent the activation of prostacyclin and complement, which leads to hypotension (Fisher & Painter).
Overall, this suggests that scientific research supports the herbalist's uses of rosemary for hypotension, poor circulation, and rheumatic problems such as rheumatoid arthritis. One problem has been that products which contained rosemary had quite low concentrations, although some supplement manufacturers have begun to make a very concentrated rosemary product. Concentrations of rosemarinic acid in these range from 5% to 70%. And given that rosemarinic acid is an incredibly powerful antioxidant as well, this would make it a good choice for preventing heart disease.
References: 1. http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?id=64356
2. C Fisher &G Painter, Materia Medica Of Western Herbs For The Southern Hemisphere
3. R Weiss, Herbal Medicine
4. M Tierra, Planetary Herbology
Ginkgo biloba is also great for improving circulation. But if you have joint problems, or just want to protect your joints from free radical damage, check out this glucosamine supplement, that helps improve flexibility.


Smoking - Why People Start and Why They Should Stop
Copyright 2006 Anne Wolski
The epidemic of smoking-related diseases is one that only the potential victims can abolish. Smoking is among the most common habits in the Western world and this dangerous habit will kill a large number of those who engage in it.
It is amazing to think that people would continue to smoke after their first experimental cigarette which causes coughing and nausea. However, the majority of smokers enjoy the taste and smell of tobacco smoke and so they continue on with this potentially lethal habit. Sometimes the ritual of smoking creates pleasure and relaxation itself. For some people, it is a social habit and makes them feel part of the crowd. This is particularly so of people who are shy. Having something to do with their hands when in company helps them to appear more in control and self-confident.
Smokers say that smoking settles their nerves when they are stressed. Some say it also stimulates them and, in both cases, there is some truth. This is due to the nicotine or more precisely, the dose of nicotine as well as other factors. There is also a genuine physical addiction to nicotine so that when the person concerned is not able to get the drug, he or she suffers from withdrawal symptoms which are relieved only by having another cigarette.
A person can have a psychological addiction to smoking as well as the physical addiction. Although the person does not really need that cigarette, he or she misses the perceived enjoyment it used to bring. It has often become such an ingrained habit that the smoker lights up automatically without any thought about it.
In recent years, public opinion against smoking has resulted in policies to restrict the areas where smokers can engage in their habit. Many hotels, restaurants, shopping centres and workplaces have become no-smoking zones. In many places, governments are claiming damages from the billion-dollar tobacco industry to finance the ever growing costs of healthcare for smoking-related diseases.
There is definitely a strong correlation between children's smoking and the smoking habits of parents and older siblings. The family bond and the desire to be like their parents is the likely cause of this. As young children, many are very disapproving of their parents smoking habits but by the early teens, their thinking begins to change. Often, these young people identify drinking and smoking with the ideal of being an adult.
Early studies just after World War II, concluded that the main cause of lung cancer was definitely cigarette smoking. After comparing a number of variables, it was concluded that only one in two hundred male lung cancer patients were nonsmokers with a similar level of statistics found among women. Other conclusions were that the chances of dying from lung cancer increased with heavier smoking habits. More recent studies have shown that smoking is also a contributory factor in diseases such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and coronary heart disease. It has also been shown that smokers generally live a shorter lifespan than nonsmokers. .
Many people are unaware that it is the toxic substances in the vaporized tar that causes the damage to smokers rather than the nicotine. These tars contain thousands of toxic chemicals, some of which are known carcinogenics. Other interesting factors include the fact that smokers are twice as likely to die before retirement age as nonsmokers. There is also some evidence that filter-tipped cigarettes reduce the risk of disease minimally but not enough to consider them a safe option.
Another area of great concern is that of passive smoking. Studies have shown that the cigarette smoke drifting from the burning end of a cigarette contains twice as much carcinogenic tar as that inhaled by the smoker.
The risks to an unborn baby of a smoking mother are also something of which people need to be aware. These mothers have a higher rate of miscarriages and stillbirths than do nonsmoking mothers.
Giving up the cigarettes is easier said than done. There are many products available which may help but, ultimately, it is a battle that the smoker needs to fight for him or her self. Resisting the temptation to have a cigarette, particularly in times of stress, is crucial. Many people give up over and over again but end up back on the smokes. For this reason, it is important to have a plan and to decide, once and for all, that it is the time to give it up. No one is saying it will be easy but millions give up every year so it can be done.

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Anne Wolski has worked in the health and welfare industry for more than 30 years. She is a co-director of http://www.magnetic-health-online.com an information portal with many interesting medical articles and also of http://www.pharmacybyweb.com which has online physicians who can help you with any questions you may have.