Anyone with recurring, unyielding back problems knows the beast that is called back pain. While most of us have experienced back pain that comes from overexertion or muscle pulls, the effects of back pain for many can be debilitating, excruciating, and life changing. Experts say back pain accounts for $100 billion in lost productivity and health-care costs each year and is one of the primary causes of work-related disability. Managing back pain can be a daunting and exhausting proposition. One natural avenue for finding relief is massage therapy.

I believe what we say to and about ourselves, becomes ourselves. Here is a depiction of that concept. Which list sounds most like you?

All beings want to be happy and secure. All beings want to be free of pain and suffering. But how do we attain this ideal, earthly goal? Massage goes right to the heart of the matter. It can elevate us without alienating us from reality. Through massage, we can reach beyond the affliction of our mortality and embrace our impermanence.

How much time do you spend thinking about your body? Are the thoughts positive or negative?

In her book, Transforming Body Image (The Crossing Press, 1985), Marcia Hutchinson, EdD, suggests body image has little to do with the physical body. “Image and reality are separate,” she writes. And if body image is a product of the imagination, Hutchinson proposes that it can also be changed using the imagination.

Hydrotherapy treatments can be relaxing, healing ways to extend the benefits of your massage. Treatments you perform at home can help you take charge of your own health. Aches and pains, injuries, muscle tightness, and even joint stiffness can all be soothed with these simple, at-home hydrotherapy treatments.