It's All In The Hands

Massage Therapist uses the practice of touch to manipulate the soft tissue muscles of the body. Massage therapists use the art of pressure to relieve stress and promote health. There are 80 different types of massages. Massages can be as long as 2 hours or as short as 20 minutes. Different techniques are used on elderly clients then would be used on athletics.

Massage therapists typically work on an appointment basis. They interview the client to learn about the person’s medical history and what they hope to achieve from the massage. A client with injuries would be massaged differently than one who just wanted to relax. Massage therapist use massage oil, cream or lotions to rub into the client’s muscles. Some offer candles, relaxing music and incense to help put the client at ease.

If proper techniques aren’t used, massage therapists can injure themselves. Repetitive motion problems and fatigue from standing are the most common complaints. They are taught to use body weight, to apply pressure instead of muscular strength. They learn the proper way to stand, lean, and use their hands when working. Other qualifications a therapist should have include strong communications skills and a friendly personality. Massage is a personal issue with a lot of people and making them comfortable is an important skill. It’s common for massage therapist to divide their time among different settings, depending on clients and locations. Massage therapist typically work less than 40 hours per week actually massaging. However, when taking into consideration travel, setting up equipment, billing and the massage therapy itself, it’s actually over 40 hours.

So who gets massages and why? Massages help relieve muscle tension and pain. It increases flexibility, mobility and helps clear lactic acid waste which can help reduce pain and stiffness. People with back pain, arthritis, tendentious, and muscle related condition would benefit from a massage. Also people who need stress relief benefit from massages. It will help with headaches, migraines, circulatory problems, and respiratory problems. Massage helps the body’s stress response by lowering the levels of cortisol in the system.

There is schooling to learn how to be a massage therapist. It can take anywhere from a few months to a few years depending on the level you want to reach. The average is about two years. Look for a program that leads to certification and satisfies your jurisdiction’s licensing requirements. Many states require 500 to 600 hours of training. Depending on the program that you choose, you will graduate either with certification in a certain specialty or with a degree. No matter what your schedule or where you are, you can find a massage school to fit your needs, even online.

So if you like to help people feel good about themselves and help relieve pain, this may be the career for you.

By Linda Lee Ruzicka

Linda Lee Ruzicka lives in the mountains of Western PA , happily married and with her 8 cats and three dogs. She has been published in Twilight Times, Dark Krypt, Fables, Writing Village, June Cotner anthology, The Grit, Reminisce , the book, Haunted Encounters: Friends and Family. She also does freelances work for Beyond andHealthcarejobsite. You can read more of her blogs on Healthcarejobsite blog.

Sunshine On Your Shoulders

Were you aware that 80% to 90% of Vitamin D is obtained thought exposure to sunlight? Exposure of the hands, face, arms and legs to sunlight 2 or 3 times a week for about one half the time it would take to get a mild sunburn will produce enough Vitamin D.

How important is Vitamin D to you? Vitamin D is crucial for calcium absorption in your intestines. Sufficient vitamin D prevents prostrate cancer, ovarian cancer, depression, colon cancer, and schizophrenia. Osteoporosis is commonly caused by a deficiency of vitamin D. According to health care experts, 40% of the US population is vitamin D deficient. Unfortunately, the healing rays of natural sunlight can’t go through glass. So sitting on the couch in a sunny window may make you feel good but it won’t produce Vitamin D. If you drank ten large glasses of fortified Vitamin D milk a day, it would only give you the minimum requirements you would need. Also people with dark pigmented skin may need 20-30 times as much exposure to sunlight as fair skinned people to get the vitamin D requirement. It’s impossible for you to generate too much Vitamin D from sunlight exposure. Your body will only generate what it needs. Just six days of casual sunlight, without sunscreen, can make up forty-nine days of no sunlight exposure. During periods of sunlight, Vitamin D is stored in fatty fat and then released when sunlight is gone. Older people are at risk for Vitamin D deficiency. They are less likely to spend time in the sun. They also may not have enough D in their diet or may have trouble absorbing Vitamin D due to aging kidneys. As many as 40% of older people even in sunny climates don’t have enough of this vitamin in their system.

Does Vitamin D come in a supplement? Yes it does, however, the dosage should be regulated by your healthcare provider. If the dosage is too much some side effects could be: weakness, fatigue, sleepiness, headache, loss of appetite, dry mouth, metallic taste, nausea, and vomiting. Also excessive amounts can cause high levels of calcium in the blood. There can be an interaction with drugs you might be taking such as Diltrazen, Digoxin, Calcipotriene, and Verapamil. Fluid pills also interact with Vitamin D. Too much Vitamin D can cause an excess amount of calcium in the body which can cause kidney problems.

The Institute of Medicine recommends that people ages 1-70 take 600IU daily, 71years and older, 800 IU daily, pregnant women, 600 IU daily and infants 0-12 months, 400 IU daily. Taking Vitamin D for long periods of time in excess does of 4000 units per day is considered unsafe. This dosage may cause excessively high levels of calcium in the blood. However, much higher dosages are often needed for the short term treatment of vitamin D deficiency. This type of treatment is done often under the supervision of a doctor.

So you can see how important Vitamin D is to your body. All you have to do is sit in the sun for about 15 minutes a day to get the full benefits that are needed. Plus, tilting your face up into the sun does feel good now, doesn’t it?

By Linda Lee Ruzicka

Linda Lee Ruzicka lives in the mountains of Western PA , happily married and with her 8 cats and three dogs. She has been published in Twilight Times, Dark Krypt, Fables, Writing Village, June Cotner anthology, The Grit, Reminisce , the book, Haunted Encounters: Friends and Family. She also does freelances work for Beyond and Healthcarejobsite. You can read more of her blogs on Healthcarejobsite blog.