Yes, please. Definitely cancel your session if you’re sick.
Great! We’re done here.
…Nah, we’ve got a bunch more to cover. There are lots of variables to being sick. What does that even mean and why does it
matter? Let’s dig in.
via GIPHY
What is ‘sick’?
For determining your ability to receive
massage, ‘sick’ means one or any combination of the following:
● Fever
and related symptoms
○ Chills
○ Aches
○ Unusual
fatigue
● Respiratory
issues
○ Coughing
○ Sneezing
○ Very
runny and/or stuffy sinuses
○ Sore
throat
● GI
issues
○ Nausea
○ Vomiting
○ Diarrhea
If you have any of the above happening, it’s
best to cancel.
via GIPHY
Massage isn’t going to help you get better
A sick body needs rest, and receiving massage
is an active task. Massage causes change
in the body and your body has to work to maintain stability. Getting a massage when you are sick takes
attention away from rest and recovery, and that’s not helping you get better.
Plus, you’re not going to be comfortable on
the massage table. Sure, it sounds like
a warm, squishy massage table would be great. But the moment you put your already-stuffy
head into that face cradle, you’ll realize the error of your ways. Gravity and pressure are not your friend here.
Even if I do a great face massage to
drain your sinuses, you’ll likely feel worse when you get off the table.
If you’re feeling at all dizzy or loopy, lying
face down can make that sensation even worse. Remember getting ‘the spins’ when you drank a
little too much? That. Only worse because
you’ll be worried about puking on the floor of the massage room.
There is often some gray area, especially if
you are in the recovery phase of a virus or bacterial infection. You may have that lingering dry cough, well
past the stage of contagion or actual illness.
Or you could have seasonal allergies that make you a runny mess.
If you’re unsure about your situation, please
call us before your appointment and we can make a decision together.
It’s really, really easy to spread those germs
If you come in sick, you may get the massage
therapist (and her other clients) sick. Even
with the best handwashing, coughing into your elbow, and precision skills slam-dunking
your dirty tissue into the trash bin, you’re likely to leave a few germs
hanging in the air and I’m likely to breathe them in.
Fun fact: when you sneeze the little droplets of doom can travel up to 8 meters and can
stay suspended in the air for up to 10 minutes. Yikes.
There’s a lot we just can’t control about cold
and flu season. We may have been exposed
without knowing it yet, and be contagious for a few days before symptoms show
up. That’s just part of living in a
world with other people. But we can control where we go and who we see
while we are symptomatic. I know it’s a
bummer to delay your massage, it’s also the right thing to do when you are
contagious.
Stay healthy
You already know the best ways to stay healthy
through cold and flu season (but I’ll remind you anyway). Get a flu shot, wash your hands, get enough
sleep, and get out into the fresh air when possible.
If you feel something coming on, do your best
to cancel whatever you can, keep your activities to a bare minimum and just
rest. Stay hydrated. Ask for help if you need it. That’s sometimes hard to do, but worth the
effort.
Here’s to staying healthy throughout the flu season
and the rest of the year too!
-----
More sources on contagious factors, etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment