WHAT IS IN A MASSAGE?

If there was a button for ‘like’ or ‘hate’ here on this particular article I would  swear that I would record a lot of ‘hits’ on the ‘hate’ button especially from all those who run beauty saloons and spas not leaving out my regular beauty parlour as well because of the alternative that would be mentioned here.

The other day, I was in dire need of a massage for my feet as they were killing me badly in a way so very unlike Luther Vandross killing me softly, my feet were doing the very opposite,. Obviously as a result of stress or fatigue from long standing, walking or whatever. For a long while now, I haven’t had a good foot or body massage.

Sometime ago, after a session at the gym, one of the ladies there said to an instructor “please I need a massage” and my ears went ‘grrrrrng’ standing up like a magic word had been said.

Fair enough, I would own up here and say in that statement, there truly was a magic word and it was none other than ‘massage’. Oh how I love that word!

For me and many others especially hard working women like ‘yours sincerely’, we love not just a quick rub but good pampering every now and then which includes a proper massage of the entire body by a professional at the spas or good ‘Ijaw’ woman’s place which is always by far cheaper and more intensive as the 'Ijaw' women may even leave you completely 'broken'  from all the body pains given the expertise by their blessed hands. How they do it, that I really do not know. Such talents are rare gifts and inspite of all their strong hands, we all really love massages.

Why is that? What is wrong with just rubbing your feet or somebody giving your shoulder or back a quick back rub or if it hurts so badly, take painkillers? Many are more likely to ask. But hey! Let me stop you before you even get such questions popping out. There is nothing as good as a great massage after a hard day’s job. Can I get a witness?

One of the good news is that you can get a good massage even without visiting the spas. There loads of local women who go to homes and offices to give these massages these day for a fee and be assured that these fees are a whole lot less than what obtains in many ‘overly hyped’ saloons and spas.

Even at that, care should still be taken when embarking this ‘massaging’ journey as some of such massages meant for relaxation and healing of body pains and other health issues could lead to more complications if not properly explained.

For example, massage, apart from giving relief from minor regular body pains whilst producing feelings of care and comfort in some cases, studies have demonstrated that massage is also beneficial for persons suffering from stress related insomnia, anxiety, soft tissue strains or injuries, digestive disorders, fibromyalgia, sports injuries, headaches, joint pains amongst others.

Nevertheless, some other studies have also highlighted some risks involved as well as massage may not be beneficial to people who have some medical history which include people who may be suffering from thrombosis, severe osteoporosis, bleeding disorders or even on blood thinning medication, having fractures or burns as well as healing wounds.

This therefore means that massage as ‘sweet’ or magical it sounds to the ears, it should not be taking as a complete replacement for having regular medical checkup and attention as sometimes even people are posed with more serious health issues from having undergone too much pressure from massaging, hence  serious caution should be taken when it comes to massage.  

HOPE FOR WOMEN GIVING BIRTH ‘LATER’ IN LIFE

For many women, it is always a thing of concern once they start leaving their thirties without a spouse and most worrisome when they reach their mid-forties without a child especially for those who may have been trying to conceive for several years. Especially if they are in a society where being single or childless is like ‘taboo’. For many of such women, everyday life is like a torture and living through it amounts to miracles.

Nearly every woman’s dream is to have all of their kids when they are still young and vibrant in order to raise the kids properly and be around their lives well enough to see them succeed in some of their life’s endeavours hence it’s sad when the years go by without these dreams becoming a reality thereby giving room to panic and worries which most of the time would not even resolve the problems.

However, there is good news for every woman out there who is still trying for a child irrespective of age.

We’ve heard stories in the past of women who have long past their child-bearing age still having babies at the end of the day. Such stories spring up every day and so it is on that note that we present again a recent story of as reported by the BBC of a Spanish woman Lina Alvarez who gave birth naturally at the age of 62 in Lugo Spain.

Lina while speaking to reporters outside the hospital said "It has been a normal pregnancy that developed naturally," thereby raising the hopes of all those who are still trying out there.

It would be recalled that a couple of days back, a write-up here was on Janet Jackson being pregnant at 50 and the news ‘wowed’ many. However it would interest you to know that Janet Jackson when compared with a lot of other famous celebrities who are giving birth ‘later’ in life, she would rank amongst the ‘not-so-later-after all’ group such as Oscar-winning Halle Berry who had her second child at 47, three years ago, and John Travolta's wife Kelly Preston who gave birth to her third child at 48 including Geena Davis - best known for her role in Thelma and Louise -  who also became a mother later in life after falling in love with an Iranian-American neurosurgeon in her 40s. Her first child, a girl, arrived when she was 46, followed two years later by twin boys.

Still counting ‘later mums’ was Swiss billionaire Maria Louis-Dreyfus, who gave birth to twin girls in March 2016 at the age of 53, even at all of these aforementioned women, they could be termed somewhat ‘young’ especially when compared to some of the world's oldest new mothers such Omkari Panwar, Rajo Devi Lohan and Daljinder Kaur in India who claimed to have carried their children to term having used donated eggs.

According to reports, Omkari Panwar at 70 gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, in 2008 while Rajo Devi Lohan also 70 gave birth to a baby girl few months after Omkari. For Rajo, it was her first time of having a baby.

For Daljinder Kaur, after three attempts at IVF, gave birth to a son in April 2016 at 72.  

Even though each of the births caused a debate over the ethical issues surrounding having a baby so late in life - especially after the death of Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara, the Spanish woman who once held the title of the world's oldest mother, three years after having twin boys, it nevertheless still gives some sort of fresh hopes for many who are still trying to conceive even in their late forties, fifties, sixties and more.

NEVER GIVE UP!

THE BEETROOT WAY! THE HEALTHY WAY!!

Just like other researches conducted in the past revealed on the health benefits of the uncommon plant Beetroot, another recent study  conducted in London has also asserted  that just by taking  a glass of beetroot juice daily will naturally lower blood pressure at least six hours after due to the high concentration nitrate in Beetroot.

For many who may be wondering what Nitrate is and its benefits to the human body, Nitrate according to examine.com is a small molecule which is naturally produced in small amounts in the human as a by product of nitric acid but can however be got from consuming vegetatbles such as Beetroot, turnips, spinach and other leafy green vegetables thereby helping as a potent regulator of blood  in the body.

Nitrate, according to scientists helps in prolonging the time to exhaustion during exercise as it reduces the rate of fatigue while exercising with continued muscle contractions.

  

As a result of its interactions with nitric oxide, it is known as a kidney protector and at the same time helps to regulate blood flow during the aging process.

  

It would also interest you to know that studies have shown that Beetroot increases endurance, and that its consumption can reduce the progression of dementia and tumor growth in prostate and breast cancer by as much as 12.5 percent hence scientists admonish its frequent consumption thereby reducing significantly the number of deaths as a result of cardiovascular diseases.

Nutritionists have also not been left out in the scheme of things as they also recommend the beetroot juice for persons with digestive problems and stress even as they promote it further by saying that it is good for the liver as well as helps with processing toxins.

So what are you still waiting for? Go out and get a couple of beetroot and make the best use of it in your daily diet plan thereby giving your body the benefits it desires.

PHIL COLLINS MAKES A COMEBACK WITH 'NOT DEAD YET' TOUR

After  ten years of retirement ‘do you remember crooner’ and Rock veteran Phil Collins is coming out with dates in London, Paris and Cologne which will include a five-night residency at London's Royal Albert Hall as well as two dates in Paris and two in Cologne next June.

Collins who has recovered some dexterity  after nerve damage left him unable to play the drums had hits which include ‘In The Air Tonight’, ‘Do you remember’, Against All Odds amongst others  had officially announced his retirement in 2011, but revealed last year he planned to go on tour even though he added that he was unlikely to sit behind the kit on the new tour.

Quoting the BBC, "I think I'll be just singing. I don't think I'll ever be able to play the way I used to.

The star, now 65, according to reports from the BBC said he would practice the iconic drum riff to In The Air Tonight on "a drum kit in the garage" as that was "something I feel I should do.

"It's just a question of getting strength back."

However, he said his 15-year-old son, Nicholas, would fill in for his dad on tour.

"Nicholas is in the learning stage, and he's already a fantastic drummer," he said.

Collins made a tentative return to the stage at a one-off show for his Little Dreams Foundation last year, at which Nicholas played drums "and all the band were very impressed".

The star also sang two of his hits at the opening of the US Open tennis in New York in August.

"I thought I would retire quietly," Collins said. "But thanks to the fans, my family and support from some extraordinary artists I have rediscovered my passion for music and performing.

 

"I changed my mind. I'm living with my young kids and they want me to go out on the road, do some new things, and there's no reason why not."

With characteristic understatement, his comeback tour will be called Not Dead Yet Live.

Collins, who enjoyed more UK top 40 singles than any other artist of the 1980s, first came to prominence as the drummer and then frontman of Genesis.

He made his solo debut with his 1981 album Face Value, which included the hit single In the Air Tonight. His other hits include Easy Lover, You Can't Hurry Love, One More Night and Another Day In Paradise. But the star played down his image as a 1980s soft-rock balladeer.

"People tend to think of me as shiny BMW music," he said at a press conference announcing the tour. "That's a misconception."

The Royal Albert Hall concerts will take place on 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9 June. The Cologne dates take place on 11 and 12 June with the Paris dates the following week.

Tickets go on sale on 21 October. Collins's memoir Not Dead Yet: The Autobiography will be published later this week.