Well, fall is here, and for a lot of folks that means that sick days are right around the corner. Many folks suffer seasonal allergies triggered by weather changes, and others just happen to be lucky enough to pick up any stray bug that’s wandering around. Alicia Potter over at Health.com has some pretty good suggestions for getting through this time of year. Guess what was first on her list:
1. Get a massage
For the past three years, Mindy Hardwick, 38, of Lake Stevens, Washington, has dodged all the major bugs while volunteering at schools and a juvenile-detention center. Her secret weapon: a monthly massage. Hardwick even sailed through a move (selling her first house) without the post stress blahs. “It’s got to be the massage,” she says. “I’m convinced it’s like taking medicine.”
Most studies show that massage can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and heart rate — and lowering these is likely to cause your stress level to drop, one key to building immunity. Health.com: What kind of massage is best for you?
“Decreasing stress increases your immune cells,” says Tiffany Field, PhD, director of the Touch Research Institute of the University of Miami School of Medicine.
Make massage work for you: Any type of rubdown is fine, as long as you ask for moderate pressure, Field says. The therapist’s touch should be vigorous enough to move or indent skin but not so hard that it causes pain. How often do you need one? There’s no science on that, but experts say once a month (or more) is worthwhile. Check with your insurance provider to see if massage therapy is covered. If cost is an issue, check out massage schools, which sometimes offer discounted services.
You can read the full article here.
Posted by Carl 
