By MENAFN

The way human body responds to touch cannot be compared with any other activity. That is why new born babies are often given to the mother immediately after birth so that they can feel the warmth of the mother with her touch. Out of all the five senses, touch is an essential feeling and plays an important role in the over-all well-being. Massage therapy is based on this principle of touch.


A perfect massage therapy contributes to instant beauty enhancement in people. They will also experience deep relaxation along with de-stressing their minds. The very different enhancement massage techniques help in getting a younger looking skin that looks more vibrant and lively. Many massage and wellness institutes offer different therapies for healing, complete rejuvenation, muscle relaxation, revitalization and revived energy.
The best thing is that these massages are performed without the use of any products with chemicals. Authentic massage therapies do not involve any electronic gadgets or machine treatments. The therapies are also believed to improve focus and improved alertness. There are exclusive massage therapies for sports professionals such as performance enhancement massages for athletes. The therapies are also known to stimulate the body's immune system thereby helping the digestive and the urinary systems too.
The other advantage is that of enhanced tissue permeability also known as profusion. During this process the body fluids are exchanged better between the organs and tissues via the vessels. This results in efficient removal of metabolic wastes, lactic acid and filling the oxygenated blood with essential nutrients. The benefits are overall performance improvement, improved muscle recovery, reduction in muscle injuries and fatigue.
The other benefit of longevity massages is that of tissue elasticity. The massage contributes to flexibility of massages by stretching the fibers of the muscle. This reduces any excessive tension or pressure between the muscles. Many scientists feel that enhancement massage therapy provides stimulation, enhanced relaxation and stress reduction. They have the power to bring in some mechanical changes in a human body thereby reducing inflammation and stimulating the lymphatic fluids to flow throughout the body.
About Longevity Massages
Longevity Massage is nothing but a massage therapy that aims at offering both psychological and physiological benefits for the body. Right from improving blood circulation to muscle relaxation, improved flexibility and performance enhancement, the therapy offers a lot of benefits.

By 2050, America’s 65-and-over population is projected to nearly double from 48 million to 88 million, according to the National Institutes of Health.“Older people are a rapidly growing proportion of the world’s population,” said National Institute on Aging (NIA) Director Richard J. Hodes, M.D., in a 2016 NIA statement.
“People are living longer, but that does not necessarily mean that they are living healthier,” he added. “The increase in our aging population presents many opportunities and also several public health challenges that we need to prepare for.”
Battling LonelinessWith such a significant increase in that particular demographic come challenges of finding long-term care solutions. Many people will end up in assisted living facilities where loneliness and depression can often plague even the most sociable of people.
Between 1 and 5 percent of elderly living in community are depressed, while that figure rises to 11.5 percent in hospitalized elderly, for example.
Marc Silverstein saw it with his own mother.
A normally talkative and personable woman, she shrank into herself when she moved into assisted living, Silverstein said. There were plenty of regular activities, such as bingo and social events, but his mother wasn’t having any of it.
As someone who personally received plenty of massages, he noticed that geriatric massage wasn’t available at his mother’s facility.
“With all the services and amenities that were offered, the one thing they never offered her was massage therapy,” he said. “I thought odd that the one thing that could help her wasn’t offered, so I decided to do something about it.”
In 2010, he founded Tender Touch For All, a nonprofit that provides on-site massage therapy services to seniors, veterans, and those with disabilities or chronic conditions at their residential or treatment centers.
Tender Touch For All also offers massages to support staff and families on site, usually in a chair or massage desktop portal.
“Nurses, social workers, they have very physically and emotionally demanding jobs,” said Silverstein. “We do a lot of staff appreciation events for people in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, built around holidays like National Nurses Week.”
Tender Touch For All services reach 7,500 people annually. Seniors are the largest demographic of massage recipients in the program, but staff reach clients at hospice centers and wellness events, too.
Benefits of MassageMultiple studies indicate the physical benefits of massage therapy in those suffering with osteoarthritis. One particular pilot study done by the Department of Veterans Affairs showed significant improvements in self-reported osteoarthritis-related pain with regular use of Swedish massage.
A 2016 published study also reported knee osteoarthritis pain in elderly reduced with a combination of modalities including massage, yoga, and tai chi.
Aside from alleviating physical pain, massage is thought to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety as well.
Facility administrators at sites where Tender Touch For All therapists visit attest to it on a regular basis.
For the last three years, CareRite Centers Network has employed Tender Touch For All therapists at six of its locations. The nursing center’s mission statement embodies the idea of holistic opportunities for its rehab facilities and liked the philosophy behind Tender Touch For All.
Most of all, the stories of healing have cemented the company’s decision to work with the nonprofit, said Ashley Romano, national director of patient experience and research development at CareRite Centers.
“The residents have expressed a reduction in stress and anxiety and enjoy the opportunity to receive non-pharm interventions as part of their regular routine,” said Romano. “Additional benefits have included an increase in appetite and positive displays of behavior.”
Above all, residents always request return visits, said Bonnie Nogin, director of community affairs at CareRite Centers.
“A female resident who was a participant in the spa program and signed up for monthly visits told our recreation therapist that she was going to put on a wig and glasses so she could pretend to be a different person and get two massages that day,” Nogin said.
Other massage recipients can often be moved to tears.
“One family member had been sleeping bed side with her spouse who was terminally ill on hospice care,” said Nogin. “The Tender Touch therapist was spending time with the patient and took the family member aside and said, “I’ve noticed that you’ve been here for the last month and I’d like to offer you a massage to ease your mind.”’
It isn’t uncommon to see interactions like that with therapists and residents, Nogin said, and is one of the joys of working with Tender Touch For All.
Trust MattersWhen massage therapist Lauren Jill Morett-Vij, L.M.T., worked at an adult day care for developmentally disabled adults, she remembers one 70-year-old client who would yell at her to leave the moment she saw Morett-Vij.
Now, she offers hugs and insists on being Morett-Vij’s first massage client of the day. Another client, who has been wheelchair-bound for 40 years, never wants to let go of Morett-Vij’s hands.
For nearly three years, Morett-Vij has worked with the elderly and blind in the Long Island and Queens areas on behalf of Tender Touch For All. She’s also worked wellness events and at a facility for traumatic brain injuries.
“The Tender Touch For All organization is unique, it offers compromised and confined people who would not ordinarily be able to go out and receive this care a personal hands-on experience that benefits their body and soul,” she explained.
Trust, she said, is a big part of that whole-body benefit.
Offering a hand massage first allows her clients to ease into the idea of being touched.
Once trust is established, she’s able to work on other parts of the body more easily.
Witnessing her clients immediately benefit — such as seeing a relaxed smile at the end of a session—is one of Morett-Vij’s favorite parts of the job.
With many clients in wheelchairs or with walkers, it can be hard to imagine a different, younger person. But part of her job is to see the whole person, past and present, which allows her to connect more personally to clients, she said.
One client, an 86-year-old retired librarian once told her: “Every time you massage me you know exactly how to renew me. Your hands are intuitive.”
Responses like that are why Morett-Vij said she is proud to be a part of Tender Touch For All.
“It allows me to be a positive change and benefit in their daily, present life,” she said. “ I enjoy knowing that when I leave my Tender Touch For All patients, I have been instrumental that day in giving them quality of life.”
National ExpansionSilverstein believes massage is good for everybody. He’s seen it personally, and now with his program, he’s witnessed positive changes in thousands of lives.
With that evidence in hand, he hopes to expand the program nationally to reach more people in need of healing human touch.
“My vision is for this to be a national organization,” remarked Silverstein. “We would love to work more with veterans.”
While passion and great therapists drive the program, time and resources also play a factor. The nonprofit survives on grants, program fees and occasional fundraisers, Silverstein said.
The facilities where the therapists visit pay for the program to be brought in, which in turn usually makes the program free to recipients. Sometimes there is a low fee associated with it, but more often than not it is a free service, Silverstein said.
Stress Relief for a Cause is one ingenious fundraiser his marketing team developed.
Tender Touch For All therapists visit a location, such as a college campus during finals week, and offer 10- to 15-minute chair massages. All proceeds benefit Tender Touch For All, and if a location signs up for a minimal monthly program—one therapist for three hours—for 12 months, it can fund a program at a senior care or veterans facility for an entire year.
For Silverstein, offering a holistic option at reduced-rates for vulnerable populations is something he hopes catches on and grows far and wide. While not a massage therapist, he greatly respects the profession.
“I’m just someone who sees the benefits,” he said. “It’s a hands-on approach that makes people healthier physically, mentally and emotionally.”
About the Author
Seraine Page is an award-winning journalist based out of Southwest Florida. She enjoys writing about health, wellness and travel. Her work has been published in Discover Kitsap, AAA Journey Magazine, DAYSPA Magazine, Bainbridge Island Review, and others. She has written many articles for massagemag.com, including “A Whole-Family Model of Massage” and “This is How to Get a Job Working on Olympic Athletes.”

Coffman and Polis to Co-Chair
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Washington, October 25, 2017 | Daniel Bucheli (202-213-8660)Washington, D.C. -- Today, Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., and Mike Coffman, R-Colo., launched the Integrative Health and Wellness Congressional Caucus in the House of Representatives. The Caucus will serve as a non-partisan educational forum for legislators to receive up-to-date information from experts related to best practices and new research, and to discuss legislative and administrative opportunities for integrative health.
“Integrative and complementary therapies and treatments are often the missing piece for people on their journey to health and wellness,” Polis said. “As we debate how we can further the health care system in the U.S., we must ensure that it is affordable and accessible to all - but also, we must ensure that it provides the best possible care available.  That means investing in evidence-based integrative care.  I am proud to launch this Caucus alongside my fellow Coloradan Rep. Mike Coffman, and hope that our collaboration serves as a reminder that bipartisanship can help us reach our goals in health care.”
“I think it’s important for patients to have all the facts and latest research when it comes to therapies and treatments available to them when making medical decisions. I am happy to co-chair the ‘Health and Wellness Caucus’ with my fellow Colorado colleague, Jared Polis, as we can contribute immensely given our experience dealing with healthcare in a state as diverse as Colorado.” said Coffman.
Integrative health emphasizes prevention, health creation, health promotion and general well-being, and includes therapies like acupuncture, chiropractic, and mindfulness. At a time when the most expensive drains on our nation’s health dollars are chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, integrative approaches can offer improved outcomes with lower costs. While at least a third of Americans use complementary or alternative medicines, access is often inconsistent. This caucus will provide a platform for legislators to participate together and focus on the important opportunity that integrative health and wellness approaches offers across federally funded health programs, and find ways to make these solutions more available to the American people.
Since first being elected to Congress, Polis has been a leader on increasing access, affordability and quality of healthcare. This year, he hosted digital round table on healthcare in February and June, and sent a letter to Speaker Ryan outlining a bipartisan path to improving the Affordable Care Act.  In addition, Polis, along with Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., are members of the congressional Problem Solvers Caucus, which has been active in crafting bipartisan healthcare solutions
A Marine combat Veteran, Coffman represents the 6th Congressional District of Colorado and serves on the Veteran’s Affairs Committee and the Armed Services Committee. Previously, he served in Colorado’s House & Senate where he worked diligently to reform and improve healthcare throughout Colorado. In Congress, he has led the discussion on healthcare reform and earlier this year presented his plan for a bipartisan approach to replace the ‘Affordable Care Act’.

brené Brown 

Getting in touch with the Truth behind the StoryMy husband, Steve, and I were having one of those days. That morning, we’d overslept. Charlie couldn’t find his backpack, and Ellen had to drag herself out of bed because she’d been up late studying. Then at work I had five back-to-back meetings, and Steve, a pediatrician, was dealing with cold-and-flu season. By dinnertime, we were practically in tears.
Steve opened the refrigerator and sighed. “We have no groceries. Not even lunch meat.” I shot back, “I’m doing the best I can. You can shop, too!” “I know,” he said in a measured voice. “I do it every week. What’s going on?”
I knew exactly what was going on: I had turned his comment into a story about how I’m a disorganized, unreliable partner and mother. I apologized and started my next sentence with the phrase that’s become a lifesaver in my marriage, parenting and professional life:“The story I’m making up is that you were blaming me for not having groceries, that I was screwing up.”
Steve said, “No, I was going to shop yesterday, but I didn’t have time. I’m not blaming you. I’m hungry.”
Storytelling helps us all impose order on chaos—including emotional chaos. When we’re in pain, we create a narrative to help us make sense of it. This story doesn’t have to be based on any real information. One dismissive glance from a coworker can instantly turn into I knew she didn’t like me. I responded to Steve so defensively because when I’m in doubt, the “I’m not enough” explanation is often the first thing I grab. It’s like my comfy jeans—may not be flattering, but familiar.
When we’re in pain, we create a narrative to help us make sense of it.Our stories are also about self-protection. I told myself Steve was blaming me so I could be mad instead of admitting that I was vulnerable or afraid of feeling inadequate. I could disengage from the tougher stuff. That’s what human beings tend to do: When we’re under threat, we run. If we feel exposed or hurt, we find someone to blame, or blame ourselves before anyone else can, or pretend we don’t care.
But this unconscious storytelling leaves us stuck. We keep tripping over the same issues, and after we fall, we find it hard to get back up again. But in my research on shame and vulnerability, I’ve also learned a lot about resilience. For my book Rising Strong, I spent time with many amazing people—from Fortune 500 leaders to long-married couples—who are skilled at recovering from setbacks, and they have one common characteristic: They can recognize their own confabulations and challenge them. The good news is that we can rewrite these stories. We just have to be brave enough to reckon with our deepest emotions.
In navigation, dead reckoning is how you calculate your location. It involved knowing where you’ve been and how you got there—speed, route, wind conditions. It’s the same with life: We can’t chart a new course until we find out where we are, how we came to that point and where we want to go. Reckon comes from the Old English recenian, meaning “to narrate.” When you reckon with emotion, you can change your narrative. You have to acknowledge your feelings and get curious about the story behind them. Then you can challenge those confabulations and get to the truth.
I’ll walk you through it. The next time you’re in a situation that pushes your buttons—from a breakup to a setback at work—and you’re overwhelmed by anger, disappointment or embarrassment, try this practice.
When you reckon with emotion, you can change your narrative.Engage with your feelings.Your body may offer the first clue that you’re having an emotional reaction: for instance, your boss assigns the project you wanted to a colleague, and your face begins to feel hot. Or your response may involve racing thoughts or replaying the event in slow motion. You don’t need to know exactly where the feelings are coming from: you just have to acknowledge them.
My stomach is in knots.
I want to punch a wall.
I need Oreos. Lots of them.
Get curious about the story behind the feelings.Now you’re going to ask yourself a few questions. Again, it’s not necessary to answer them right off the bat.
Why am I being so hard on everyone?
What happened right before this Oreo craving set in?
I’m obsessing over what my sister said. Why?
This step can be surprisingly difficult. You’re furious because Todd got the project, but it may feel easier to steamroll over your anger with contempt: Todd’s a brownnoser. This company’s a joke. Getting curious about your feelings may lead to some discoveries: What if you’re more hurt than you realized? Or what if your attitude could have played a part? But pushing through discomfort is how we get to the truth.
What happened right before this Oreo craving set in?Write it down.The most effective way to become truly aware of our stories is to write them down, so get your thoughts on paper. Nothing fancy—you can just finish these sentences:
The story I’m making up…
My emotions…
My thinking…
My body…
My beliefs…
My actions…
For instance, you might write, I’m so peeved. I feel like I’m having a heatstroke. She thinks I’m incapable. I want to hurl a stapler.
You can be mad, self-righteous, confused. A story driven by emotion and self-protection probably doesn’t involve accuracy, logic or civility. If your story contains those things, it’s likely that you’re not being fully honest.
The most effective way to become truly aware of our stories is to write them downGet ready to rumble.It’s time to poke and prod at your findings, exploring the ins and outs. The first questions may be the simplest:
1. What are the facts, and what are my assumptions?
I really don’t know why my boss picked Todd. And I didn’t tell her I was interested in the project—I figured she knew.
2. What do I need to know about the others involved?
Maybe Todd has some special skill or she has me in mind for something else.
Now we get to the more difficult questions:
3. What am I really feeling? What part did I play?
What am I really feeling?I feel so worthless. I’m failing in my career. And I don’t want to ask for anything because someone might say no.
You may learn that you’ve been masking shame with cynicism, or that being vulnerable and asking for what you want is preferable to stewing in resentment. These truths may be uncomfortable, but they can be the basis of meaningful change.
Figuring out your own story could take 20 minutes or 20 years. And you may not make one big transformation; maybe it’s a series of incremental changes. You just have to feel your way through.
If you’re thinking this sounds too hard, I get it. The reckoning can feel dangerous because you’re confronting yourself—the fear, aggression, shame and blame. Facing our stories takes courage. But owning our stories is the only way we get to write a brave new ending.
Brené Brown, PhD, is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work and the author of Daring Greatly. This essay is adapted from her new book,Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution.