Sooth away stress, banish pain, and share the language of touch with the healing powers of massage

What reduces pain, enhances athletic performance, job efficiency, improves the circulation, raises immune efficiency, promotes the healing of tissues, increases the functioning of the skin, enhances focus and emotional balance, and improves appearance? Right, massage So what are you waiting for?

Discover how to knead your way to relaxation and wellness with this fun guide to the art of massage. With the help of numerous step-by-step hands-on photos and illustrations, "Massage For Dummies, 2nd Edition" shows you, move by move, how to harness the healing power of touch. In no time you'll master the basics and learn how to give and receive a therapeutic massage.25% new and expanded content in this editionCovers an array of techniques, from Swedish to Deep Tissue and sports massage to self-massageThe newest strokes and techniques that can relieve specific painful conditions

Hands-on and extremely practical, "Massage For Dummies, 2nd Edition" shows you how to integrate massage and its benefits into your everyday life.

This book highlights the impact that the Fascial Manipulation(R) - Stecco(R) method for fascial dysfunctions, developed by Italian physiotherapist Luigi Stecco, has had on the clinical practice of 16 well-established practitioners from a total of seven different countries and from different disciplines, including physiotherapy, chiropractic, osteopathy and massage therapy. It gives voice to some of the experienced practitioners who have acknowledged Luigi Stecco's work and have played an important role in the diffusion of this method in their respective countries. The knowledgeable 'clinical eye' of these practitioners will have immense value for their peers. An introductory chapter outlines the theoretical models underlying the Fascial Manipulation - Stecco method and the clinical reasoning process applied in this method. Each subsequent chapter presents the application of the Fascial Manipulation - Stecco method in detailed case reports. Chapters are divided into three main sections (Musculoskeletal, Internal Dysfunctions and Other Perspectives) and they provide useful information either for other practitioners of this method or for colleagues who are interested in approaching this type of fascial work. Furthermore, the personal accounts presented here provide ulterior historical background to the development and spread of the Fascial Manipulation - Stecco method, which has generated and continues to generate numerous areas for research.

The Vagus Nerve in Therapeutic Practice is a comprehensive guide that empowers holistic healers and complementary medicine practitioners with practical, science-based techniques to improve vagal performance and restore mind-body health. This excellent resource has been tailored for professionals to give them a solid understanding of vagus nerve regulation and provides accessible strategies to help their clients.

Struggling to locate and remember the extended meridians? This guidebook and colouring book allows you to colour and draw along the path of each meridian, supporting visual learning. An effective revision tool for students of Zen shiatsu, it includes 39 double-page spreads with anatomical meridian drawings and tips on locating the meridian and the points. Appropriate treatment positions are also covered, with photographs illustrating the positions for the arms and legs. There are blank anatomical drawings at the back of the book for you to freely colour and draw on to aid your understanding and memory of the extended meridians, which are notoriously tricky to locate and remember. Colour drawings showing the multiple meridians in relation to each other are included at the back of the book for reference.

Osteopathy and Obstetrics is already well-established as a textbook for postgraduate and undergraduate students of osteopathy. In this new edition, now in full color throughout, the original text has been revised to emphasise the physiological need for change that every pregnant woman undergoes, as well as showing the consequential anatomical developments. This revised and expanded version also gives greater emphasis in every chapter to safety issues, and to ensuring safe practice in diagnosis and treatment The text is divided into three main sections: Above the Diaphragm Below the Diaphragm The Pelvis. It describes and explains the use of all types of osteopathic techniques including structural techniques, myofascial techniques, cranial techniques and visceral techniques. Osteopaths, chiropractors, physical therapists, and others working in the manual therapy field, will find the book invaluable for reference as a practical technique manual. The information it offers on how osteopaths can work safely and effectively to treat the common problems often suffered by pregnant women, and the potential solutions, will also be of interest and value to midwives, obstetricians, and family practitioners. Based on Dr Sandler's lifetime work, teaching and treating throughout the world, Osteopathy and Obstetrics is a unique contribution to the body of knowledge within the world of osteopathic manual treatment.

Did you know that the internal health of the human body can be influenced and balanced by massaging acupoints, meridians, and trigger zones of the head, neck, and face? In fact, this not only helps to balance the entire body, it also has a significant cosmetic and anti-aging effect! In this definitive book, Dr. Bin Jiang Wu presents an easy-to-follow head massage program that was developed as a response to computer syndrome and other stress related illnesses that are rapidly increasing in our modern society. In less than thirty minutes, you can relieve stress and tension from your spouse, friend or patient, while promoting smooth skin, healthy organs, and overall peace and tranquility. This sixty-step sequence is based upon Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and its theory is rooted in the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine (Huang Di Nei Jing). Wu's Head Massage can be performed in its entirety, or you can choose your favorite techniques for quick relief. * Great for reducing headaches* Works for shoulder and neck tension* Reduces facial wrinkles* Stimulates the 'energy channels' in the entire body* Improves facial skin complexion* Provides an instant mental boost, naturally* And more!

In this volume, Sills offers students and practitioners an in-depth, step-by-step guide to the development of perceptual and clinical skills. It provide students with clinical exercises and explorations to help students and practitioners learn the essentials of a biodynamic approach.

This long-awaited follow-up to the New York Times bestselling The MELT Method introduces a unique, scientific-based proactive training program for improving overall balance, performance, and control while preventing pain and injury. Are you an athlete facing constant injuries that hold you back from achieving peak performance? Are you someone who wants to stay fit, but are dealing with aches and pains that make it more difficult to work out? Do you want to exercise or train without being sidelined by stress fractures, strained ligaments, and painful joints? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need MELT Performance. The conditioning you do to stay in shape and perfect and improve performance-running on a treadmill, doing squats or bicep curls, practicing our backhand, even doing downward dog-requires repetitive movements. Yet 80% of orthopedic injuries are the result of repetitive motion, not trauma or accidents. In MELT Performance, nationally recognized educator, manual therapist, and exercise physiologist Sue Hitzmann introduces a revolutionary program centered on neurological joint stability or Neurostrength, that will revolutionize your health and performance. The foundation of MELT Performance is stability. To stay injury free, our joints must stable before we do repetitive motions. Acquiring stability allows the body to respond to the demands of motion. It's the way we were designed to function-and allows us to move more efficiently, improve coordination, and save our joints. Knowing how to check in, restore, and reintegrate joint stability before it's compromised gives an unparalleled advantage to anyone who trains hard to perform at their best. Hitzmann's techniques are proven to work-they're already used by world renowned professional athletes and fitness enthusiasts. If you're ready to improve your performance and prevent injury, MELT Performance is essential no matter what sport or activity you pursue. MELT Performance includes black-and-white instructional images throughout.

Advanced Myofascial Techniques, Volume 2 is the second of two beautiful, information-packed guides to highly effective manual therapy techniques. Focusing on conditions of the neck, head, spine and ribs Volume 2 provides a variety of tools for addressing some of the most commonly encountered complaints. With clear step-by-step instructions and spectacular illustrations, each volume is a valuable collection of hands-on approaches for restoring function, refining proprioception, and decreasing pain.

Massage therapists need basic, practical business advice such as low to mid-cost marketing techniques, taxes, and recordkeeping, but there is also no denying the benefits of "been there, done that" information that can only come from someone else's experience. How to Start a Home-based Massage Therapy Business offers a gold mine of tips and ideas that can lessen the learning curve, stimulate thinking outside-the-box, and increase the odds of having a wildly successful practice.

This is the second edition of a highly successful book - the only one available on this topic. The first edition was written by a well-known massage therapist and author, Gayle MacDonald. For the second edition Gayle has brought in a co-author, Carolyn Tague. Both are well-known and highly respected in the field of hospital massage therapy. The second edition focuses solely on the adult patient and has new chapters on aromatherapy massage, end-of-life care, cultural sensitivity and understanding the therapeutic relationship between patient and practitioner. It also incorporates new sections on addiction and neurological disorders, as well as the most recent research from around the world. The new edition is highly illustrated with full color photographs and drawings, including many new illustrations.

Authored by a well-known expert on prenatal massage, this comprehensive text helps you understand the intricate physiology of pregnancy so you can confidently apply appropriate massage techniques for each trimester, and throughout labor and postpartum. You'll find clear, colorfully illustrated explanations of a wide range of techniques and procedures, including Swedish massage, acupuncture points, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, lymphatic drainage, and reflexology. A companion DVD packaged with the book enables you to watch demonstrations of techniques. Contraindications and precautions are also provided where necessary to help you provide safe and effective care for every client. Comprehensive coverage guides you through all aspects of prenatal massage in a single book, addressing fundamentals, techniques, preparation, and prevention of potential problems. Many useful techniques are described in detail for prenatal through postpartum massage with step-by-step instructions so you can begin using these techniques with your clients immediately. Numerous boxes throughout the text highlight key information and provide clinical tips. Touch Points and In My Experience boxes share the author's personal observations about the chapter material with real-life examples from her years in practice. Over 350 detailed, full-color illustrations and photographs illuminate procedures, concepts, and techniques. Clear writing and organization addresses content in four main units: pregnancy massage, labor massage, postpartum massage, and marketing strategies. A companion DVD packaged with the book contains 45 minutes of video demonstrating different massage techniques presented in the book. DVD icons within the text encourage you to watch relevant video footage at appropriate points. Learning objectives and key terms at the beginning of each chapter clearly identify the concepts you should focus on in the chapter. Review questions at the end of each chapter enable you to assess your understanding and review important information presented in the book. A glossary of all key terms and definitions makes it easy to quickly look up a new term or to refresh your memory.

Rhythmic Einreibung is a therapy of rhythmic body oiling. Its techniques were developed by Dr Margarethe Hauschka, based on suggestions by Dr Ita Wegman, the founder of the clinic in Switzerland which now bears her name. Dr Wegman trained in Swedish massage. Rhythmic Einreibung is a development of this which emphasises rhythmic elements and qualities which create lightness rather than pressure. The strokes work with the surface of the skin, rather than kneading the body as in traditional massage. Featuring many practical exercises which help build up ability, this book is suitable for both beginners, and for those seeking to deepen their understanding of the techniques.

Massage is one of the essential foundations of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Tui Na, literally "Push Grab," has been practiced by Chinese martial artists, Qigong practitioners and healers for thousands of years. Specializing in injury repair and curing illness, Tui Na massage can also maintain your health by adjusting your Qi in order to flow smoothly. It will increase your Qi and blood circulation in particular areas or throughout your entire body, removing blockages and stagnations caused by injuries, exercise and/or aging. Tui Na massage is also a wonderful way to relieve stress and recover from a hard day on the job or a tough workout. Chinese Tui Na Massage is systematic, concise, practical and easy to read. Originally published in China, this re-edited edition (the 4th book in our Practical TCM series) provides both theory and practical techniques. * Prevent illness by improving Qi and blood flow.* Recover quickly from fatigue, aches, and soreness.* Repair injuries, relieve stress and physical tension.* Ideal for professional therapists, martial artists & anyone with an active lifestyle.

Despite many books and courses teaching Thai Massage techniques, therapeutic application remains a confusing and inaccessible area. This high-level visual manual seeks to elucidate this challenge for students and professionals in Thai Massage. The reader will learn how to apply techniques and for whom, in the correct conditions, sequence, and pace. This comprehensive book incorporates neuromuscular treatments for an array of conditions whilst guiding students on how to develop fluidity in transition from technique to technique. Relying on visual prompts such as photographs, muscle charts, and anatomical images, this is an invaluably practical resource for bodywork students and teachers.

Los Angeles' remarkable ethnic diversity has brought more than exotic food and rich cultural traditions--it's led to a wealth of incredible (and incredibly inexpensive) therapeutic massage treatments. Gail Herndon and Brenda Goldstein, both health-care professionals, spent five years visiting Southern California's Thai, Korean, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Indian, and Hawaiian spas, and they share the details on their favorites. They explain the treatments and their benefits and tell you where to go, what to expect, how to tip, even where to park and where to eat in the neighborhood. A beautifully photographed and designed gift for adventurous Southern Californians.

Abigail James wants you to use The Glow Plan to feel beautiful, inside and out. Beauty is not about perfection, but about feeling happy in your skin and the inner glow that comes from cultivating self-care. This book shows you how, presenting a 4-week programme to uncover your inner and outer radiance. Week by week, it offers simple but incredibly effective facial massage exercises as well as wellbeing tips that will ensure your inner calm shines through your skin. You will learn how to: Optimize mental health through restorative mindfulness and self-care practices Improve your skin through movement using yoga and breathing techniques Get your skin glowing by following the 4-week facial massage programme which also targets specific problem areas such as neck and jawline, droopy eyelids, tired and lacklustre skin Integrating practical facial massage with inspirational lifestyle tips, including nutrition advice and yoga techniques, The Glow Plan is a revolutionary programme for achieving healthier, firmer and radiant skin.