Short answer: Yes
Long answer: Yes, please!
Many of us stuggle at this time of year to stay ahead of the latest virus and it’s important to know when it may be necessary to reschedule or cancel your appointment. Massage is awesome! We know this to be true but there are times when it’s not such a great idea. Here’s why.
YOU ARE GOING TO FEEL WORSE. REALLY!
There have been some studies that show massage can be helful in boosting your immune response. Check out one example here. Sounds great, right? Not always, it seems.
There are two facets to your immune response – general and targeted. Your general immune response is what gives you that feeling of malaise (fever, runny nose, sneezing, etc) and it needs to kick in before the targeted immune response can do the real dirty work of fighting the virus. Massage doesn’t affect the targeted response but it will likely affect your generalized response and make you feel even worse. For more information on how this works click here.
MASSAGE IS AN ACTIVE, NOT A PASSIVE, ACTIVITY
When you’re sick you need rest. Period. Even though it seems like you’re doing nothing on a massage table, your body is constantly making adjustments to re-establish stability and homeostasis with every stroke and pressure point addressed. That fuzzy feeling we all get after a treatment is the body trying to rebalance itself and this requires energy and effort that you will have in short supply if you’re ill. I often tell my clients after they’ve had a massage that it’s like having a workout where I’ve done the work. If you’re too sick to exercise, you’re too sick to get a massage.
IT’S JUST UNCOMFORTABLE!
Gravity sucks sometimes and never more so than when you put your stuffy head into a massage table. We all love the idea of someone taking care of us when we’re ill and a comfy, cozy massage table seems like a great idea but once your sensory nerves become overwhelmed and the massage stokes enhance the ebb and flow or your overactive mucous membranes you’ll realize your mistake and by then, it will be too late to change your mind and stay home!
I DON’T WANT TO GET SICK!
Even if I take every precaution, the butterfly effect is a very real animal and I could easily make many people sick before I even realize what’s happening.
Also, if I get sick, I have to take a few days off to get well and I hate having to cancel clients. Continuity of care is an important concept to me and I feel a great responsibility to maintain it which I can’t do if I’m ill. And, um, really, the income I lose for those days I take off can’t be recovered.
So it’s a deal. You’ll cancel so as not to infect me and my massage room, and I’ll do the same for you. We’ll keep each other safe and healthy.
WHEN TO CANCEL/RESCHEDULE YOUR SESSION:
- If you’ve had nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea in the past 24 hours, or are still feeling the effects of a recent bout of such things.
- If you’ve had a fever in the past 24 hours, or fever-related symptoms. This includes chills, aches, and fatigue. Even if you’re keeping the fever down with medicine, you’re still sick. Masking a fever doesn’t make it go away, not really.
- If you are itchy, runny, and/or sneezy, and you’re not 100% certain it’s seasonal allergies. (Even then, allergies may leave you so miserable that the hour on my table would be wasted time and money for you.)
- If you are coughing constantly, or just a lot.
- If someone in your household is ill and you are feeling at all funky, please cancel.
I do know that there is often some gray area here, especially if you are in the recovery phase of a virus or bacterial infection. If you’re unsure about your situation, please call me before your appointment and we can make a decision together.
And I get it. Cancelling a massage bums me out, too. But I promise you will enjoy the session more once you and your germs have parted ways. Honest.