Date: Fri 17-Jan-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

health-massage-therapy-Horne

Full Text:

w/photos: The Hands-On Approach To Wellness

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

Sally Horne Conklin fell off a horse eight years ago and her life hasn't been

the same since.

"As part of my treatment, I had therapeutic massage and I discovered how

powerful it is," she said. "I continued it for general wellness. Then I

realized I wanted to share what I learned with others."

A former reading tutor at Sandy Hook Elementary School, she was working in the

instructor training department of the Institute for Children's Literature in

West Redding when she started training at the Connecticut Center for Massage

Therapy in Newington.

"It's a two-year program of studies in anatomy, physiology, neurology,

kinesiology as well as intensive hands-on training in both Eastern and Western

traditions," she said. "It involves more than 500 hours of coursework and is

accredited by the American Massage Therapy Association. I am licensed in

Connecticut and New York and nationally certified."

A healing art which is mentioned in historical records as far back as 3,000

years ago in China, therapeutic massage is an official part of the health care

system in nearly every developed country except the United States. That is

slowly changing, however, as some US insurance programs now will cover massage

if it is prescribed by a physician.

The health and fitness movement has prompted interest in therapeutic massage,

as has America's growing emphasis on wellness and prevention. Athletes and

performing artists praise massage for the way it helps to improve performance

and enhance recovery from injuries; doctors increasingly recommend it for

stress relief and as part of treatment programs for chronic pain and other

medical conditions; businesses have begun to recognize its potential to boost

worker productivity and morale.

"Therapeutic massage is so much more than a luxury," Ms Conklin said. "It's an

important means of maintaining health, as well as having healing aspects."

Therapeutic massage provides health benefits on three levels, she said.

On the physical level, it relieves muscle tension, increases circulation,

metabolism and the flow of lymph fluids in the body. On the emotional level,

it provides a feeling of well-being, enhances self image and reduces anxiety.

And it is credited, on the mental level, with helping people achieve a relaxed

state of alertness with decreased mental stress and increased capacity for

thinking and creativity, she said.

"Studies conducted by the Touch Research Institute of the University of Miami

Medical School showed that infants - particularly premature infants -

increased in weight one-third faster than babies that did not receive

massage," she said, and "adults who received a 15-minute `chair' massage

solved mathematical problems in half the time and with half the errors."

Businesses are beginning to recognize the benefits of this alternative health

care procedure and some in the Newtown area have begun to conduct regular

sessions for their employees. Ms Conklin has also been invited to coffee

houses and to health food stores to give demonstrations of the chair massage,

a procedure in which the client remains fully clothed, sitting on a stool or

specially designed massage chair. The finger pressure techniques used by the

therapist are adapted from Swedish, shiatsu and acupressure movements.

The chair massage is considered a "pick-me-up," an adjunct to the traditional

full-body treatment which takes about one hour. A full-body massage costs $40.

Although she occasionally gives half-hour sessions for specific problems, Ms

Conklin said it's usually necessary to work on the whole body.

"Tenderness in an elbow can cause a pain in the neck," she explained.

"Problems usually aren't in just one area."

Being a massage therapist involves more than getting an education and learning

techniques, she said.

"It takes a special touch - a gift. You're also a listener, never offering

advice. I'm only a facilitator, a way to help a clients work out their own

problems."

Massage therapists often volunteer at sites such as hospices, HIV facilities

and rehabilitation institutes. They frequently work in conjunction with

chiropractors, loosening up a patient's muscles in preparation for an

adjustment.

After finishing her training in August, Sally Conklin looked for a good

location to open her office, Health Connection Massage, and eventually decided

on Sandy Hook Center.

"It's a very accessible and growing location," she said. "There's another

massage therapist here and we often help each other. I had an open house in

November and had a surprising response. People are very interested."

"I'm excited about being a therapist in a well-trained, ethical, professional

setting," she said.

Health Connection Massage is located at 111 Church Hill Road. Call 426-0437

for more information.