Not Just for Girls...

Visiting an alternative therapist is not something you'd like to share with your hard-core biker friends. Luckily I don't have any, so I'll share my experiences with you instead.

Why would I want to do that? Well, I'm guessing that not a lot of blokes have any experience with alternative therapy, so here's a little insight.

It all started a few years ago when my wife volunteered me as a guinea pig for a trainee therapist. I'll give most things a go, well once at least anyway. Katherine was training in Indian head massage. At first this was just a pleasant way to spend 45 minutes. However, once she had the knack, it became so much more. It helps to release tension in the shoulders and neck, and is a real tonic for the mind.

Some time passed and a volunteer was required for her Reflexology course.

‘Well OK, I'll do it,' I said. For those of you that don't know, this is all about areas on your feet having a connection to parts of the body. I suffer from migraines and a few years ago I badly broke my collar bone. Both these showed up during the treatment, which was interesting. Perhaps the most fascinating thing though, was a brief mention of a thyroid imbalance. It was six or seven months later that I had to pop along to the doctors and ended up being diagnosed with an over-active thyroid...

I'm also a regular on the massage couch and more recently tried hot stone massage. This is very intense and easily reaches any deep tension - so much so that the next morning I felt rather like I'd been trampled on by a small gang of marauding wildebeest. Once that feeling faded things did feel better.

There was a suggestion of Hopi ear candles, but I wasn't enamoured at the idea of a blazing cornetto being shoved in my ear.

So the question is ‘Should blokes have some alternative therapy?'

I see no reason why not. If nothing else you will have a relaxing session and ease some of that day-to-day tension away. You could find out something you might like to know about.

Dave

photos (c) David Trelfer 2008