There are many factors that go into making a great massage therapist.  The best massage therapists are dedicated to helping and healing their clients through the power of touch.  Through their training they are able to help their clients achieve optimum health and wellness.  Besides dedication and training, there are a few habits that the best massage therapists have that help them to rise above all others.

1.  Cleanliness.  Licensed Massage Therapists should pride themselves on cleanliness.  The bed sheets should be clean. The room itself should be clean, dust free, and without excess clutter.  Most importantly, the therapist should wash their hands before and after a massage.  

2.  Listen.  A top-notch massage therapist must have the ability to listen to what the client is saying and to accurately use that information to determine what their needs and wants are. Why did the client make the appointment?  If it is for relaxation purposes, then the therapist would inquire what, if any, music would help them to relax.  The therapist would also make sure the environment is as relaxing as possible.  If the client came in specifically for pain relief, the best therapist will ask the client where their pain is, have them describe the pain, and ask the client what makes the pain worse, and what makes it better.  The treatment would then be specific to helping that client seek pain relief and begin the healing process.

3.  Continuing Education.  The best licensed massage therapists are always seeking to learn more and enhance their skills.  It is recommended that the therapist obtain at least 10 to 12 continuing education credits per year so their knowledge base continues to grow.  At Meridian Healing Center, our therapists keep up-to-date on their CEU requirements. Best of all, we are always learning from one another.  We share our techniques and our knowledge here so our clients receive the ultimate care.  The more a therapist knows, the more tools they have to deal with each clients unique needs.

Marc Weinrick, L.Ac has joined the professional team at the Meridian.
 
Weinrick is a graduate of Pacific College of Oriental Medicine with certificates in Massage Therapy and Asian Body Therapy. Marc also has completed studies at Midwest College of Oriental Medicine receiving a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine and a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition. He is an active member of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB). Marc is also a long time student and teacher of Chinese martial arts.
 
Through his experience as a body worker, acupuncturist and the martial arts, Marc has become dedicated to the moderation (and ultimate relief) of all pain related conditions without the use of surgery or drugs. By utilizing stretching and strengthening exercises, trigger point therapy, deep tissue bodywork and acupuncture Marc has fine-tuned his skills to successfully treat both chronic and acute painful conditions. Marc’s risk analysis includes factors unique to each individual such as workplace/home environments, lifestyle,  nutrition and other contributing factors giving rise to pain and dysfunction of the body.

 To schedule an appointment with Marc please call 906-236-4096.  Otherwise you can book your appointment with Marc by clicking here.

Lower back pain is something that has plagued most of us at one point or another at some time in our lives.  If it is something that plagues you constantly, relief can be hard to find.  Lower back pain can be hard to treat because it can have so many causes and can involve so many muscles.  Our lower back is comprised of a complex network of muscles, tendons, bones, and connective tissues that are all supposed to fit and work together in a specific way.  When one of those things goes haywire, the whole system can go haywire!  

Lower back pain can come from poor posture, improper alignment, injury, weak muscles, imbalanced muscles or repetitive motion (just to name a few causes).  The good news is that whatever the cause, the problem can most often be fixed.  For example, the position you put your body into will determine your posture which will determine your ability to move and function.  If you slouch, you're not using your muscles as they should be used which can lead it injury and pain.  Slouching causes you to round your upper back , elevate your shoulder blades and rotate them out of position.  Your muscles are then too "stretched out" to contract properly and support your frame - hence the pain and stiffness!  Therefore, fix the slouch - fix the pain!  At Meridian Healing Center, we understand how your entire body works together and we can show you how to live pain free.

To read the complete in-depth article on exactly how you can fix your lower back pain, click here.  Otherwise, contact Meridian today to schedule an appointment to see how your posture is affecting your muscle and joint health.

Join us at 4 pm on Wednesday's for a Body Balancing Class with Natalie.  This class will get you back in balance and pain free so that you can enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle.  Contact us today for further details.  

I have been practicing yoga for 25 years.  I thought it was a stretching class.  Yet my tight calves, hips, shoulders, and back never really changed all the time I was moving from one pose to another in class.  The truth to the matter I was structurally out of balance and needed more.

Finally I new I needed to do something different.  I did 4 things
1.  I was assessed and treated by a manual therapist.  My hips, sacrum, lumbar, and thoracic cage were inhibited and not facilitated.  Stuck in other words.
2. therapist showed me exercises to strengthen the inhibited muscles, and stretches to release the short, tight restricted muscles.
3.  deep tissue massage to further release the  hard to get to muscles.
4 . Continued stretching and strengthening classes.
Now I am able to return to the mat and breath into my discovered spaces, I can find that sense of peace when you meet your true self on the mat.....
I still get manual therapy and go to stretch class too...
Call Meridian Healing Therapies and schedule and assessment with Natalie for imbalances.

Over 55 and finding your currant healthy life style is not addressing the pain in your joints and muscles.  Are you finding you just don't recover like you used to.   Old injuries coming back to haunt you.  I am convinced there is a population of us out there that are " orthopedically" challenged as described above.  I have found if I don't seek regular massage and manual therapies I end up regretting it. 
I have a new client that is 57.  Fit, hard working her whole life.  Never took the time to care for herself.  She always felt massages (body work) were a luxury.  Currently she had a small event that threw her off the fence.  She is coming for massages now to help with the constant numbness and pain in her hands, extreme tightness in her shoulder and back muscles.  Massage is helping, as she discovers much of her problem in her hands are the tight tight shoulder and arm muscles.  She is starting to be able to do more without pain.  This entire event could have been avoided with regular massage and body work.  I am talking about 1 massage a month at least.  As a massage therapist over 55, I am constantly reminded by my clients to book myself an appointment with a qualified massage therapist.  Keeps the aches and pains at bay, and injuries away.
   

An early appointment with perhaps my favorite client.  A 93 year old man who is sharp as a whip.  He has lots of aches and pains, which I try to stretch, heat, and massage away.  This day his shoulder pain is up and interfering with his sleep.
What to do....So with great palpating (touch) skills I looked closely at all the muscles that were involved with the shoulder.  So many very tender points.  A student of muscular skeletal acupuncture I decided before massage I would acupuncture the "ashi" ouch points.  So he agreed with my plan with hesitance in his eyes, which melted away as soon as he found out it was painless.  After the massage he said he felt good.  However the next day he called me and said he had no pain all day and night .  With joy he exclaimed we can do that again. 

Have you ever had a massage that left you slightly disappointed because the area you felt you needed the most focus on received very little attention?  Or have you ever found yourself on the table silently urging the massage therapist to linger on a certain spot a bit longer?  If so, have you ever wondered why you didn't just speak up?  Don't worry, you're not alone.  Many people are afraid to speak up during a massage for fear of offending their therapist.  

Guess what?  The secret truth is that your massage therapist would LOVE for you to speak up and give him/her feedback during your massage.  After all, it is YOUR massage.  Your therapist may be the best in the world, but a little feedback from you will help them to do an even better job.

Here are three ways to get the most out of your massage:

1.  Will you stop talking please?  A big part of an effective massage is the ability to allow both your mind and body to relax and open up.  If your massage therapist is a bit too talkative, you are not likely allowing your mind to fully relax.  A good way to address this is before your massage.  Before you go in, mention to your therapist that you need quiet time to relax and unwind.  If you fill out a client intake form prior to the session, be sure to mention this on there as well.  

2.  Will you please work the area I came here for?   If you went to your massage therapist with a sore lower back, then you probably want your lower back worked on right?  Sounds reasonable enough doesn't it?  Well sometimes massage therapists have their set routines and they tend to do the same massage regardless of the problem area you want worked.  If this happens to you, don't be afraid to speak up.  All you have to say is, "You know, my lower back is still pretty sore, do you think you could work that more?"  Now is NOT the time to be shy!

3.  Going, going, gone....  Admit it, this has happened to you.  You're laying on the table and the therapist finds an area that feels great and you know is "THE SPOT".  Just as you start to think, "Yes, stay there....", the therapist moves on.  Again, this is the time to speak up. Contrary to what you might think, your therapist would LOVE it if you exclaimed, "There, that feels so good.  Can you stay there longer?"  A little feedback from you will improve your overall results in a big way.

If I could sum up this entire article in one word, I would say, "feedback".  Your massage therapist wants your feedback both before, during, and after your massage so that they can do the best job possible for you.