Massage Facts
Massage once seen
as shady practice
Believe it or not, mas
sage wasn’t always as
highly regarded as it
is today.
Massage used to
be a common
front for prosti- /
tution and was (
generally re
garded as a
shady practice,
says Byron
I
nanus, massage in
structor at Lane Community
College.
However, World Wars I and
II sparked a conversion of pub
lic opinion toward the activity
as veterans required increas
ing treatment for their war
wounds.
“Doctors were shorthanded,
nurses had their hands full,
and the growth of occupational
and physical therapy really
blossomed,” he says. "People
started seeing the value of
body working—that was the
boost."
The change in public opin
ion was not instantaneous,
however. In fact, much of the
change has occurred during
the past 10 years, Hanks says
“People realize massage
has its own health value. Now
there’s a clear split between
the shady aspects and the
health factors.”
—By Nicole Krueger
Happy Massager created by therapist
to reduce strain of massage on hands
Jennifer Thompson, a senior ma
joring in journalism, used to have a
Happy Massager.
“I was living in Carson, and my
Happy Massager became famous,"
she says. “Everybody wanted to
come over and borrow it."
Thompson said the tool was use
ful because it kept her hands from
getting tired when she gave back
rubs. “My hands would always end
up hurting, but with the Happy Mas
sager you could do it forever.”
The Happy Massager,a wooden
massage tool (pictured above), is a
product of the company Tender
Loving Things Inc. It was created by
California native Mark Juarez, an in
ventor and certified massage thera
pist.
Juarez was practicing and teach
ing massage in Europe when he be
gan to notice that many of his col
leagues were developing carpal
tunnel syndrome, according to a
press release. He developed the
Happy Massager to help reduce the
strain of massage on the hands
without reducing its effectiveness.
After patenting his product,
Juarez raised $20,000 and returned
to the United States in 1992 to
found Tender Loving Things Inc.
Revenues jumped from $35,000
in 1992 to $19.5 million in 1995,
and the company grew to include
303 employees. Today, more than
seven million Happy Massagers
have been sold worldwide.
Thompson no longer has her
massager, which she gave to a
friend who needed it one day. But
she said she would like to own one
again.
“I think it relieves a lot of stress
just because it's kind of a funny little
object,” she says. “It kind of makes
you laugh.
“It makes you happy.”
— By Nicole Krueger
In addition to relieving stress,
massage has many health benefits
Everyone knows a good back
rub both relaxes and relieves
stress. But some of the other
beneficial effects of massage
are much less known.
| Massage:
»IMPROVES BLOOD
CIRCULATION: By dilating blood
vessels, massage increases the
flow of blood and relieves conges
tion throughout the body.
* INCREASES NUTRITION TO
MUSCLES: Toxic lactic acid, which
is produced during voluntary mus
cle contractions, is not produced
when the muscle is stimulated by
massage.
■ IMPROVES MUSCLE TONE:
Massage also helps prevent mus
cular atrophy, which results from
forced inactivity.
■ STRETCHES CONNECTIVE
TISSUE: Massage breaks down or
prevents the formation of adhe
sions and reduces the danger of fi
brosis.
■ CAN PARTIALLY
COMPENSATE FOR FOR LACK OF
EXERCISE: Massage helps return
venuous blood to the heart, easing
the strain on it.
SOURCE: Southampton University
Massage Club Web site
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