Massage Tames the Stress Monster

“Help! I need some stress relief!” is a cry that licensed massage therapists Allen and Therese Archer often hear, particularly during the holiday season.

“The closer it got to Christmas, the crazier it got,” Therese said.

“With January, and the beginning of tax season, we’ll probably get even more calls,” Allen added.

Besides taming the stress monster, massage can be used as therapy for a variety of ailments. In particular, both Allen and Therese are certified lymphedema specialists.

“This means that we use massage to reduce swelling due to lymphedema following cancer surgery,” Therese explains.

During surgery, some of the lymph glands, which are very close to the skin’s surface, can be cut. Massage redistributes the lymphatic fluid to an area that has more lymph ducts to help pick up the fluid, thereby reducing the swelling. Massage also helps reduce the swelling in legs and ankles that occur with a heart condition.

“Massage can help your entire immune system, increasing the lymphocytes, to help you fight off infection,” Allen said. “Facial massage can help with acne and sinus problems.”
 

“As you grow older, face massage even helps reduce those fine lines and wrinkles,” Therese said.

Pregnant moms and babies can also benefit from massage. Massage during pregnancy can help alleviate the pain from sore backs and swelling of the feet as well as allowing the moms to simply relax.

“We have a special ‘pregnancy pillow’ that we use for massage,” Therese said. “Many of our clients say, ‘I haven’t been able to lie on my tummy for weeks!’”

Massage therapy can also benefit newborns. Body & Soul uses Cranial Sacral therapy, a light touch massage that extends from the bones of the skull, face and mouth, which make up the cranium, down to the sacrum, or tailbone area.

“It’s a light massage on a fully-clothed baby. The touch applied is about the weight of a nickel,” Allen explained. “It can reduce a wide variety of problems that often don’t show up until the child has reached school age. We also work on adults who have pain from back and neck injuries as well as TMJ (Temporal Mandibular Joint disfunction).”

Body & Soul Center for Well-Being opened in 1999. Besides massage, the center offers educational and gift products including books, souvenirs, crystals, incense and yoga supplies.

Therese and Allen see from four to six clients a day. A full massage takes about 50 minutes. Each client receives their full attention.

Body & Soul is located at 712 North Texas Avenue. For more information, call 432-337-2299 or visit their website at www.bodyandsoulcen ter.com.