Massage has been shown to:
• Decrease stress
• Increase circulation
• Release muscle tightness
• Improve joint range of motion and flexibility
• Release endorphins
• Diminish aches and pains
• Reduce anxiety and depression associated with
- anorexia and bulimia
- post traumatic stress disorder, and
- chronic fatigue syndrome

Contraindications for Massage Therapy

There are certain conditions that make Massage Therapy an inappropriate choice of treatment for certain individuals. Sometimes a condition is an absolute contraindication but more often than not, a skilled therapist can modify their treatment to accommodate the condition.
When a client completes an intake form, these issues may be addressed.

Conditions That Require Physician Clearance

• Acromegaly
• Aneurysm
• Atherosclerosis
• Burns
• Cancer
• Cerebrovascular accident
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Congestive heart failure
• Coronary artery disease
• Hemophilia
• Hodgkin's disease
• Kidney stones
• Leukemia
• Myasthenia Gravis
• Nephrosis
• Peritonitis
• Polycyctic kidney disease
• Uremia

Conditions With Absolute Contraindications

• Appendicitis
• Autoimmune disease or acute inflammatory processes during exacerbation period (or flare-up)
• Cardiac arrest
• Chickenpox
• Cholecystitis (during flare-up)
• Cirrhosis of the liver (if due to viral agent)
• Contact dermatitis (if widespread area is involved)
• Diarrhea (if due to infection)
• Embolism
• Encephalitis
• Fever
• Gallstones (if during a gallbladder attack)
• German measles
• Gout (during acute phase)
• Hemorrhage
• Hepatitis (during acute phase)
• Hives (during acute phase)
• Hypertension (if not controlled by diet, exercise and/or medication)
• Infectious diseases (many are contained in this list)
• Influenza
• Intestinal obstruction
• Jaundice
• Laryngitis (if caused by infectious agent)
• Lice
• Lupus (during a flare-up)
• Measles
• Meningitis
• Migraine headache (during the migraine headache episode)
• Mononucleosis
• Multiple sclerosis (during flare-up)
• Mumps
• Pancreatitis (if acute pancreatitis)
• Pericarditis
• Pharyngitis (if due to infection)
• Pleurisy (if caused by infectious agent)
• Pneumonia (during acute phase)
• Preeclampsia
• Psychiatric diagnoses of manic depressive psychosis, schizophrenic psychosis and paranoid conditions
• Pulmonary embolism
• Pyelonephritis
• Rabies
• Recent injury (wait 72 hours or until medical clearance is given)
• Recent surgery (until medical clearance is given)
• Respiratory distress syndrome
• Rheumatoid arthritis (during flare-up)
• Ringworm
• Scabies
• Scarlet fever
• Scleroderma (during flare-up)
• Severe, acute pain
• Sickle cell disease (during flare-up)
• Tonsillitis
• Tuberculosis