January 31, 2011

What is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is a type of alternative medicine that uses essential oils and other aromatic plant compounds which are aimed at improving a person's health or mood. Many consider this type of treatment as unscientific and wishful thinking - however, scientific evidence of its effectiveness is growing. This study acknowledged that aromatherapy makes you feel good although there was no evidence that it makes you well. The essential oils used in aromatherapy have a different composition compared to other herbal products because the distillation used in aromatherapy recovers the lighter phytomolecules. 

Aromatherapy is a widely used term for a range of traditional therapies that use essential oils. These may include massaging oils, or any topical application that uses pure, essential oils - the essential oils are either absorbed through the skin or inhaled. We are not completely sure what the source of the benefit is - the massage, the smell or both.
The theory behind Aromatherapy

January 29, 2011

Apple's New and Noteworthy!

Anatomy In Motion - Muscles of the Shoulder,  is being featured today in the Apple Store's NEW & NOTEWORTHY!

We are very excited and wanted to thank all of you for your support!
Love,
Mending Hands Massage Therapy and Mografi

January 24, 2011

Relieve TMJ Pain with Massage

The jaw or temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a major target for an array of joint disorders. Disorders of the jaw are typically referred to by the same name, TMJ. The temporomandibular joint connects the mandible to the skull’s temporal bone and contributes to the acts of biting, chewing, swallowing, speaking and making facial expressions. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) states over 10 million people in the United States suffer from TMJ problems.
Symptoms
Pain is the most common TMJ symptom. The pain is often described as a transient, dull ache in the jaw joint and nearby areas, including the ear. Instead of pain, some sufferers only have problems in the use of their jaws. Additional symptoms of TMJ can include:

January 23, 2011

FREE Jenni's Cookies with each Valentine's Massage

Mending Hands Massage Therapy is coupling up with local Brooklyn company Jenni's Cookies to make sure your sweetheart feels extra treated this Valentine's Day!


At Jenni's Cookies - Each individual cookie is hand crafted; the ingredients melt together as they are gently combined and then hand rolled with grandma Powers’ rolling pin! It is hand decorated with beautiful royal icing with a special technique that makes it seem more like painting than frosting!

Every person that receives a massage with Mending Hands Massage Therapy on Monday, February 14th will be sent home with a delicious bunch of some of the cutest and tastiest cookies ever!

Space is limited, so please contact melissa@mendinghands.com to secure your sweethearts special gift! 

** Offer is only valid for 2/14/2011

January 20, 2011

How Touching Makes You Healthier

Whether it's a squeeze of the hand, a big bear hug, a kneading massage, even a bedroom romp, touch is shaping up to be the ultimate mind-body medicine.
From lowering blood pressure and heart rate to increasing immune function and relieving pain, getting touched or doing some touching makes you healthier -- not to mention happier and less anxious.
How do you tap into these body-boosting benefits? Let us count the ways.
Get A Rubdown
Anyone who's ever gotten a massage -- even a quickie at a mall kiosk -- knows that it helps you unwind. That's not just a mental sensation: Getting massaged causes muscles to unclench, a racing heart rate to slow, heightened blood pressure to fall, and levels of the stress hormone cortisol to drop. In that relaxed state, your body is able to regroup and recharge. One happy result: a more robust immune system. 

"Cortisol suppresses the immune response," explains Roberta Lee, M.D., vice chair of the Department of Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. "Anything that increases the relaxation response triggers the restoration of your immune response."

Recently, researchers measured immune function in healthy adults who got either a 45-minute Swedish massage or 45 minutes of lighter touch. The massaged group had substantially more white blood cells -- including natural killer cells, which help the body fight viruses and other pathogens -- and fewer types of inflammatory cytokines associated with autoimmune diseases.
It's too soon to know whether regular massages will, say, keep you from catching a cold, but "it's not an unreasonable speculation," notes lead study author Mark Rapaport, M.D., chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.
 

January 13, 2011

Anatomy In Motion is HERE!!

I used quite a few anatomy apps on my ipod touch while I was in school. To learn, study on-the-go and even to have as a handy reference now that I am out in the working world.


I always found the muscle apps to be disappointing.


So, with the great help of Mografi (an amazing nyc based motion graphics company) we came up with something better. Something Awesome! 


Anatomy In Motion (for the iphone, ipod & YES! with ipad support) will be for sale in the Apple App store on Jan, 20th!  Become a Facebook Fan for the chance to win a FREE code - even before the sale date!
Anatomy In Motion offers students, doctors &  medical practitioners a tool for the muscular system like you have never seen before.


January 12, 2011

Massage for Menstrual Pain

Every healthcare provider likely works with clients trying to manage dysmenorrhea. The Merck Manuals Online Dictionary, defines dysmenorrhea as the pelvic pain experienced during a menstrual period and is otherwise known as menstrual cramps. More than one in every two women suffers painful menstrual periods each month, and about one in four are so badly affected that they have to take time off from work or school. Fortunately, massage therapists have access to methods capable of reducing the agony associated with dysmenorrhea.

January 07, 2011

Benefits of a Facial Massage

Facial massage can be a stand-alone massage or can be incorporated into a longer full-body experience. The face is full of nerves and pleasure points that make this particular form of a pampering an easy favorite. Whether you are looking for a quick midday pick-me-up or a soothing escape, the luxury of massage is easily justified by some of its more practical benefits.

January 04, 2011

Breathe Easy: Sinus Massage

It's January.

The month of colds and congestion.

Luckily, Mending Hands can help!

Book a 90 minute massage from January 10th - January 31st and receive a Breathe Easy add on for FREE! Finish your long relaxing session with a hot towel compress, 15 extra minutes of Shiatsu facial, head & sinus massage while inhaling the releasing scent of eucalyptus or tea tree oil. Sending you back into the world with a rejuvenating breath of fresh air!

Contact for Appointment: melissa@mendinghands.com

*You must mention this deal at the time of booking so proper time is allotted for this special offer. Not to be combined with any other discounts. If you are using a 60 minute gift certificate or series - clients may pay the difference to extend to a 90 minutes session to receive this free treatment. Offer valid 1/10/2011 - 1/31/2011