Healing Hands InstituteNJ Massage Training & Education – HHI Massage Therapy Education

Healing Hands Institute says goodbye

Kim — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 13:33:29 +0000

Dear Massage Therapist,

We write this letter with great sadness. After 20 wonderful years of training professional massage therapists in the Tri-State area, Healing Hands Institute has closed our doors.

So, what does this mean for you?

ALL SCHOOL RECORDS will be maintained by us for at least one year. Any transcript requests can be processed via email ( hhi@aol.com ). After that time, we will send education records to the State of NJ Department of Education/Labor and they will hold such records indefinitely.

We hope that you understand the unfortunate situation we have been faced with and please know that we wish for you only the best in the future. Thank you for your years of loyalty, friendship, and support. We will miss you.

Eva Carey Olga Kubicek Alice Feuerstein

New Year’s Resolution – New Career in Massage Therapy

Kim — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:42:33 +0000

Now’s the time to start planning for your new career as a massage therapist. Have you visited the schools you are interested in? Are they COMTA accredited? Will they provide support once you’ve graduated? Have you asked massage therapists or spas which school provides the most knowledgeable therapists? Here’s a brief checklist to get started on your research.

1. Register for a spot at an Information Session – our next one is being held Sunday, October 24th at 10am.

2. If you can’t make an Information Session, set up a private tour – call us at 201-722-0099 and we’ll be happy to set that up for you.

3. Do your homework – ask the tough questions: are they COMTA accredited? What is the pass rate for National Certification? How many graduates are working right after graduation? Does the program fit your needs?

4. If you’re happy with the answers you receive, sign up to join the January 10th, 2011 class. With both full-time day and part-time evening classes, you choose what’s best for you.

We hope to see you soon!

Part Time NY Program Starts March, 2011

Kim — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:27:47 +0000

There’s still time to join the part time NY Professional’s Program. Classes are 3 evenings a week and 1 full weekend a month. If you are interested in joining us, please email hhi@aol.com to request a Professional Program Application or drop by one of our Information Sessions to find out more!

NY Times article finds massage benefits are more than skin deep

Kim — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:20:33 +0000

The following articles was recently posted on The New York Times website. Researchers have been able to find that even after one massage session, the beneficial effects of massage can be measured.

To view the article directly, you can visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/health/research/21regimens.html

Regimens: Massage Benefits Are More Than Skin Deep
By RONI CARYN RABIN
www.nytimes.com
Published: September 20, 2010

Does a good massage do more than just relax your muscles? To find out, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles recruited 53 healthy adults and randomly assigned 29 of them to a 45-minute session of deep-tissue Swedish massage and the other 24 to a session of light massage.

All of the subjects were fitted with intravenous catheters so blood samples could be taken immediately before the massage and up to an hour afterward.
To their surprise, the researchers, sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health, found that a single session of massage caused biological changes.
Volunteers who received Swedish massage experienced significant decreases in levels of the stress hormone cortisol in blood and saliva, and in arginine vasopressin, a hormone that can lead to increases in cortisol. They also had increases in the number of lymphocytes, white blood cells that are part of the immune system.

Volunteers who had the light massage experienced greater increases in oxytocin, a hormone associated with contentment, than the Swedish massage group, and bigger decreases in adrenal corticotropin hormone, which stimulates the adrenal glands to release cortisol.

The study was published online in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

The lead author, Dr. Mark Hyman Rapaport, chairman of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai, said the findings were “very, very intriguing and very, very exciting — and I’m a skeptic.”

Oakworks explains it all….

Kim — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:31:11 +0000

Unsure about which table cart to buy? Do you need a new bolster but would like to see examples of different types in use? Oakworks has created a YouTube channel which can help you narrow your decision. Click on the link below to see their new product videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/OakworksInc

If you need more help or would like to place an order – give us a call at 201-722-0099. Healing Hands Institute can have it shipped to the school or directly to your address, and as an authorized reseller of Oakworks products, you’ll save with our discounted prices.

Massaging Preterm Infants Enhances Growth

Kim — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:12:56 +0000

By Alex A. Kecskes

After over two decades of research, experts have concluded that massaging stable preterm infants leads to greater weight gains and earlier discharge. There appears to be a biological cause and effect between stroking, massaging, and grooming infants and their growth. Some studies show that massage stimulates growth-promoting hormones. Massage therapy also increases the enzymes that make the cells of an infant’s vital organs more responsive to the growth-promoting effects of these hormones.

Conversely, researchers have discovered that infants deprived of massage therapy showed lower levels of growth hormone. Even when infants were given injections of growth hormone, they failed to grow at a rate comparable to massaged infants. This suggests that massaging impacts infants at the cellular level.

Other studies specifically show that massage therapy has consistently led to increased weight gains in preterm infants. While massaged infants do not consume or retain more formula, weight gains are believed to be due to better conversion of food into growth. Some believe this to be due to a reduced adverse reaction to stress. It has also been suggested that an infant’s energy expenditure drops considerably after several days of massage therapy. This drop in expended energy may be partly responsible for the enhanced growth caused by massage therapy.

A prospective, crossover design study was conducted in 10 healthy infants. Each infant was studied twice, first after a period of five days of massage therapy, then after a period of five days without massage therapy. During the massage therapy period, massage was provided daily for three 15-minute periods at the beginning of each three-hour period every morning. Energy expenditure was significantly lower in infants after the five-day massage therapy period.

In another study , 40 medically stable preterm infants were assigned to treatment and control groups. The treated infants received tactile/kinesthetic stimulation for three 15-minute periods during three consecutive hours per day for a 10-day period. Sleep/wake behavior was monitored and the infants were evaluated at the beginning and at the end of the treatment period. The treated infants averaged a 21% greater weight gain per day.

Infants should be massaged in a warm quiet place. Oils, first warmed by the hands, should be used. The most common are fruit or vegetable oils—such as coconut, almond, apricot, safflower, or avocado. Begin with the legs, then follow with the abdomen. Move to the hands and arms, then proceed to the back and finally the face. Be sure to consult a trained medical professional before beginning massage therapy on preterm infants.
Researchers found that massaged babies sleep more soundly and fall asleep more quickly. Many mothers report that after their babies were massaged, their babies slept soundly and many simply fell asleep in the middle of a massage.

Massage Therapy and Its Benefits for Children

Kim — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:14:55 +0000

Massage is a form of touch therapy that has been prevalent for centuries. It is an ancient practice and conveys to the child a sense of security and trust that is very essential for the newcomer into the world. Touch is a sense that is one of the first to be developed in humans and probably all forms of life. It is said that a touch can convey more than a thousand words, and children are known to thrive with the right amount of physical contact. Children who grow up with healthy views of touch are known to grow up into adults with self-esteem and develop long standing relationships.

Massage as a Therapy
Customs in many countries include the use of massage therapy for children, especially infants, using oils and other herbs that further increase the benefits of the massage. Massage therapy can act as a stress buster for children, even when they have passed the stage of infancy. Children have their own exposure to stress, which can come from school, family quarrels, or even playtime with their peers. This stress can cause imbalance in the immune system and hormonal imbalances as well. Massage practiced regularly can help a child reduce stress, which in turn, may help the child to sleep better.
Children and Their Response to Massage
Children respond very positively to any form of massage. It is probably the sense of touch and the bonding it brings that has such a therapeutic effect on the child being massaged. For infants, the gentle gliding stroke with some oils is the best form of massage therapy. As children grow older, massage can include separate work on hands and feet, concentrating on the fingers and toes. Sessions for massage therapy should not last for more than a quarter of an hour, as children’s attention spans are small, and they may find longer sessions irksome. One may also find that the child falls asleep while he or she is being massaged. This is a positive sign and points to the positive effects of the therapy.

Massage Therapy for Illnesses and Problems
Massage has been found to be very effective for children suffering from diabetes, asthma, and other skin or arthritic problems. It is now even being recommended for children with cancer, and it is felt that the reduction in stress boosts the immune system and its ability to resist diseases. Children have been known to benefit extensively from massage therapy if they suffer from hyperactivity disorders or other psychiatric problems as well. Autistic children may also benefit from massage. Children prone to bulimia find their depression and anxiety lessened by massage therapy and this helps them to counteract the disease. Massage as a therapy seems to work for children whether they be infants, preschoolers, teens or even young adults, and making a massage a routine in the child’s life can help it to grow into a balanced and mature adult.

Massage Therapy Helps Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer Suffering from PTSD

Kim — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:29:05 +0000

The following article was recently posted on Massage Magazine’s website. For more information follow the link at the bottom of the article.

Massage therapy has been shown to reduce stress, effect relaxation, and reduce psychological and physical distress among children with cancer. New research shows adults who had cancer during childhood suffer four times the rates of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than do people who did not have cancer when they were children.

Researchers from several medical departments throughout the U.S. teamed up to compare PTSD rates in cancer survivors and their siblings. A total of 6,542 childhood cancer survivors over 18 years of age who received diagnoses between 1970 and 1986 and 368 siblings of cancer survivors completed a comprehensive demographic and health survey, according to the research abstract.

“PTSD was reported significantly more often by survivors of childhood cancer than by sibling control subjects,” the abstract noted. “Although most survivors apparently are faring well, a subset reported significant impairment that may warrant targeted intervention.”

The research was published in the journal Pediatrics.

Related articles: http://www.massagemag.com/News/massage-news.php?id=9295

Reflexology and Anxiety…

Eva Carey — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:15:38 +0000

Millions of people suffer from anxiety. While most individual experiences can be considered mild or temporary, there are others for whom anxiety is a debilitating mental and emotional disorder that can have significant negative effects on one’s physical, emotional, and social functions. As an alternative treatment, reflexology massage is commonly recommended to help individuals achieve a sense of relaxation and well-being.
Reflexology is a type of massage that uses light to moderate pressure on specific points in the feet, hands, or ears. These points correspond to certain body parts and organs. By massaging these points, beneficial effects can be experienced by the other part or organ. Reflexology uses massage techniques to help relieve tension, improve blood circulation, and induce relaxation and rest.   The benefits derived from reflexology by people with anxiety are mainly from its therapeutic effects. Massage movements are slow and deliberate, allowing the patient to relax and calm the mind. As a result, heartbeat is regulated and the patient is better able to breathe deeply. It is the preferred form of therapy for many individuals because of its non-invasive nature.
Studies on the efficacy of relaxation techniques such as therapeutic massages have been conducted since the late 70s and results have been promising. In a study performed by the University of Udine in Italy, the group that received massages reported a general decrease in anxiety versus the control group. The study concluded that reflexology in the form of a foot massage can be used as a treatment to complement or support conventional medical treatments to alleviate anxiety particularly brought on by chemotherapy. It has also proven effective in improving patients’ feelings of wellbeing.
In another study by the East Carolina University School of Nursing published in 2000, 30-minute reflexology sessions were used as support treatment for cancer patients to minimize their anxiety. Patients who received the massages reported significant decreases in their feelings of anxiety following the intervention.

As a means to help relieve anxiety, reflexology massages have shown to be very helpful as support treatment. There are, however, countless people who enjoy its benefits in inducing physical relaxation and peace of mind.

June 09 Graduates

Eva Carey — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 19:20:07 +0000

Congratulations to our most recent grads! Wishing you great success… Let us know what you are up to.