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You wrote: >For several months now people have mentioned to me the values >of regular massage, probably even in PD....ANYBODY OUT >THERE WITH EXPERIENCE ON THIS, MASSSAGES, >SWEDISH OR OTHERWISE...BERNARDO Bernardo: My husband and I have some training in massage. He uses a Shiatsu technique while I do the best I can with a tremor in the right hand. I gently work acupressure points and use gentle techniques. Both of us have found massage to be of great value. We have friends who use a masseuse who uses Swedish, Oriental, and even some Feldenkrais. The thing both of us learned is go to a trained, certified professional if you are wanting the deep-types of massage to help relieve some of the cramping. An amateur can hurt you if they do not have a good, working knowledge of anatomy and nerve placement. Don't worry about what your friends will say <smile>. Your friends don't have PD with all its frustrations and aches and pains and cramping. Any relief obtained through massage is worth every cent. Some health plans actually cover massage for certain problems. Being in my 40's, I don't know much about or if medicare will. At night, my husbands gentle massage often helps me unwind to the point of sleeping for a few hours (what heavenly bliss) without waking in-between. His massages help me focus on what it feels like to not be focused on the interminable pains, cramps, etc. Instead, I try to focus on wherever he is massaging (like my neck or shoulders) to the exclusion of the rest of my body which is generally hurting. I concentrate on how good it feels to relax each muscle under his fingertips. Believe it or not, with practice you can actually tune out the rigidity or tremors or pain in other areas while being massaged. I hope you try the massage-type of your choice regularly for a period of time and give it a good chance to help. If you have further questions, feel free to email us. We'll do our best to answer. -- Llyn ****************************************************** *** Doug & Llyn Gruber <[log in to unmask]> *** *** YESTERDAY is HISTORY... *** *** TOMORROW is MYSTERY... *** *** .TODAY is a gift...That's why they call it *** *** "THE PRESENT"! :-) *** *******************************************