Massage and Muscle Recovery

There are various types of massage therapy – deep tissue, Swedish, sports and many more. The type of session you have should be discussed with your massage therapist and based upon your specific therapeutic goals. While massage therapy is often both seen and advertised as a means of relaxation, which has health benefits all its own, there are other physiological benefits, such as muscle recovery, that we should not ignore. Muscle recovery is just one of the benefits that can enhance your workout, help prevent injury and assist you in reaching your goals.

As a whole, our bodies require nutrition and oxygen to thrive and survive. Our muscles, specifically, are no different. After any workout, muscles can become inflamed and there is always some level of tearing of muscle fibers. But, how do muscles repair themselves? How do they recover? Nutrition and oxygen are needed. How do we increase nutrition and oxygen to a specific area? Improved circulation – and massage therapy is known to increase circulation.

In addition to enhanced nutrition and oxygenation to muscle tissue, there have been many studies regarding the impact of massage therapy on a cellular level and relating to muscle tissue recovery. One such study, for example, put participants through a difficult workout to examine muscle tissue. In order to see the impact of massage therapy, samples of muscle tissue were taken before and after the exercise. The study revealed that massage reduced the production of something called cytokines. This compound plays a substantial role in the process of inflammation. Massage also stimulated something called mitochondria. These cells, which live in the muscle, convert glucose into the energy essential for muscle cell function and repair.

In another study, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, strength and proprioception were assessed in two groups - massage participants and non-massage participants. Proprioception, by the way, is our ability and awareness to sense where our body parts are in space. It’s how we place our foot on the ground to walk without stomping with every step and how we reach to scratch our noses without punching ourselves in the face. Proprioception is important for both injury prevention and the expression of strength and technique.

The results of this study showed improvement in levels of proprioception in the group that received massage after their workout. In addition, muscular strength analysis showed strength was greater in the group that received the massage as well.

Guided Imagery

Welcome to 2017. First and foremost, I wish each of you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. May the coming days be rich in wellness.

Without question, one of the most common conversations at this time of year centers around resolutions. Many of us see January the first as an opportunity to refocus and reach new heights. Everyone wants to know what big plans you have and what big changes you plan to make in the New Year. Everyone is discussing the goals that they wish to achieve and the accomplishments that they wish to make in the next 365 days.

I am a firm believer that any random day, of any week, of any month of the year is stellar time to make positive changes in your life, but, it’s a tradition to focus more heartily on those goals using the coming of a new year as a marker. The question is, how do we reach those goals and accomplish the various things we set out to do.

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The Road to Wellness

Every morning I wake up and go to the medicine cabinet. Inside it are the pills for my high blood pressure. Really, it’s all a very simple process when we look at things from a conventional medicine point of view. My doctor runs some tests, sees some numbers and prescribes a pill. The label says take one capsule by mouth daily. Again, a simple process. Whole medicine, is not quite that simple. It is a very personal journey that one embarks upon out of a need to treat not just the physical body, but the mind, the spirit, the energy and the soul as well.

It would be wonderful if we could see our physician or pharmacist, tell them what we think, we feel, we lack or suffer from, and get a prescription for tai chi, aromatherapy, or meditation. The truth is that sometimes it’s not quite that simple. But starting down a path of whole medicine is exciting. Are there obstacles? Certainly. There is research to do. There is trial and error. But it is a journey well worth it. It is taking some matters into your own hands and empowering yourself toward enhanced wellness. 

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Aromatherapy & HIV

Essential Oils:  Aromatherapy may offer a host of possible benefits, from destressing to boosting immunity. 



The use of essential oils for healing, both emotional and physical, has been a part of the holistic wellness landscape for a very long time. In fact, some evidence suggests that the practice of using essential oils for medicinal purposes dates back around 6,000 years and has origins across the globe in places such as Greece, China, Egypt, India, and Rome—just to name a few. The word aromatherapy may imply that inhalation is the singular use of aromatic oils. This is not always the case. Certain oils can be applied to the skin and others even ingested. Of course, this depends on the type of practitioner you see and your specific needs and goals. Personally, mint and lavender are a part of my own aromatic rituals. Not only do I apply them to my body and use the scent, but I make tea from them. Mint is known for its positive effects on digestion and lavender is known to potentially reduce anxiety and stress, aid in sleep, and is said to possess anti-inflammatory properties. No matter how you intend to use essential oils, it is of the utmost importance that you work with a trained, experienced professional. There are dosages, contraindications, dilutions, allergies, drug interactions, and more that must be taken into consideration.

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Tai Chi & Immune Function

Tai chi, a good fit for all fitness levels, may improve immune function.

Some years ago, I recall walking through Madison Square Park in Manhattan and seeing a group of people gathered in the grass. Each was performing identical actions and moving at a slow, rhythmic self-pace. In the midst of the usual New York City hustle and bustle, they seemed peaceful and unaffected by their surroundings. I stayed and watched for a while and spoke to one of the group members when they were done. I learned that they were practicing Tai Chi.

I have found that the specific history of Tai Chi varies depending on where you do your research and who you talk to, but many will agree that the art is centuries-old, has origins in traditional Chinese medicine and deep roots in martial arts. While Tai Chi may have begun, in part, as a method of self-defense from external attacks, many people practice it today strictly for its health benefits—perhaps a method of internal defense? While more research is needed, and, I believe, warranted, there is evidence that suggests a variety of health benefits from practicing Tai Chi, many of which may be of some importance to people living with HIV/AIDS.

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Transcendental Meditation

My latest article in A&U Magazine details the benefits of Transcendental Meditation.

We have talked at length about complementary, alternative and integrative options that impact the body, our energy, and those that affect both simultaneously. When people speak of the assortment of alternative options, they use words like mind, body, spirit, and soul. I would like talk about a practice that begins in the mind and branches out to impact all the others. Meditation. More specifically, Transcendental Meditation.

I will be the first to admit that I was skeptical about meditation. To clarify, I did not question its effectiveness in any way. Many of my friends and colleagues, people whose insight and opinions I trust, practice meditation and swear by it. My skepticism was personally rooted and came from my own self-doubt. My mind, much like many others, was rarely quiet and at ease. My body infrequently still. I therefore wondered, if even for a short period of time, that I could meditate.

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Going to the Mat

My latest article in A&U Magazine delves into the importance of yoga for individuals living with HIV/AIDS.


In my time in the field of complementary and alternative medicine, I have often heard a variety of practitioners remark that good health and healing is partially a state of mind. If I look at this theory from a conventional, western point of view, I am inclined to agree. How many times have you had a bad week or gone through a particularly stressful period in your life and found that you have become ill? It makes sense. In general, stress has a negative physiological impact on the body and the way our assorted systems function. But stress also releases hormones into the body that suppress the immune system.

In our quest for greater wellbeing we may seek out options that strengthen the body. Whether you lift weights, run, engage in sports or partake in any athletics that bring about physical strength and stamina, it is often for the sake of enhanced health. In addition, we may delve into practices that nurture the spirit and the mind, that bring about relaxation and erase anxiety. I can safely say that many of my own clients see me for stress and anxiety reduction. But whether you use massage therapy, meditation, or any other means of relaxation, we often do so in pursuit of good health. In yoga, we find a practice that encompasses both the building of the body and the mind.

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