The Magic Of Touch

Massage is not a single discipline but a family of related arts, each offering different advantages. If you're plagued by insomnia or simply need to relax, Swedish massage, with its long soothing strokes, may be all you need. But if you suffer from painful muscle spasms or need to rehabilitate an injured joint, ""deep tissue'' massage may be more helpful. The technique uses greater pressure to penetrate to deeper muscle groups. ""Trigger-point therapy'' can help relieve pain by prodding and stretching out sensitive spots that cause aches in other parts of the body. (Think of the headache you relieve by rubbing the back of your neck.) Sports massage combines all these techniques to reduce soreness, prevent injuries and treat sprains, strains and tendonitis.

Since most therapists combine techniques, what really counts is not method but competence. In some states, ""all it takes to open a massage business is a paintbrush and some cardboard,'' warns Mark Dixon, a practitioner in Huntington Beach, Calif. But the consumer isn't helpless. Twenty-five states now require licensing. Since 1992 certification has also been available from the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. In order to sit for the exam, candidates must have 500 hours of formal training, including classes in anatomy, physiology and ethics. The American Massage Therapy Association outside Chicago maintains a national list of qualified therapists (phone: 847-864-0123), and its Web site (www.amtamassage .org) is a good general resource.

Like exercise, massage does more for you if you engage in it regularly. Field uses daily massages in many of her studies--for example, to boost immunity in HIV-positive men. But even a monthly treatment can help maintain general health. ""Touch is basic to survival,'' says Elliot Greene, past president of AMTA. That's all the excuse anyone should need to indulge.

© 1998