Men, have you ever thought, “Why is my wife so grouchy today?”
Well, if she’s going through menopause, she likely has good reason, since the transition can often cause women to experience unpredictable mood swings, muscle aches, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia and hot flashes.
This might explain why she occasionally snaps at you…or doesn’t laugh at your jokes…or, perhaps worst of all, isn’t always “in the mood.”
I know. Menopause can be hard on you, too.
But here’s a helpful hint.
A new study suggests that if you perform a certain kind of massage, it can help relieve her menopausal symptoms.
As a bonus, guys, this massage might lead to all sorts of positive consequences for you, too (wink, wink)…
What I love about this type of massage, as you’ll see later, is that it’s quick, cheap and easy to perform at home.
In the Middle Eastern study, scientists divided menopausal women into three groups. For four weeks, some received a twice-weekly, 30-minute massage during which aromatic oil was rubbed onto them…some had massages with plain oil…and some received no therapy (the control group).
At the beginning of the study, all the women reported the same level of menopausal complaints—a moderate amount of moodiness, achiness, anxiety, sleep problems, fatigue and hot flashes. At the end of the study, the control group hadn’t experienced any reduction in menopausal symptoms…the group that got massages with plain oil had a 14% reduction…and the group that got massages with aromatic oil saw much more relief from symptoms—41%! So any type of massage was helpful—but aromatherapy massage was especially helpful.
To learn more about aromatherapy massage—and how it can be done at home to help menopausal women feel better—I called Maureen A. Moon, a certified massage therapist in Boulder, Colorado and a spokesperson for the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA).
A massage (even one with plain oil) offers physical and psychological benefits, said Moon, by relaxing tense muscles, improving circulation, jump-starting your immune system and stimulating the release of serotonin and dopamine, feel-good brain chemicals. Aromatic oils enhance these health benefits, she added, because when you inhale them and they penetrate your skin, they fire off either calming, balancing or invigorating messages to your brain.
So the next time your wife gets a professional massage, tell her to try an aromatic one, advised Moon. (And if your wife doesn’t get professional massages, you might want to suggest that she start—for the good of both of you.) Find a qualified massage therapist in your area at the AMTA site www.FindAMassageTherapist.org and ask if he or she uses aromatic oils—or if you can bring your own. Prices generally start at around $40 for a half-hour massage or $60 for an hour.
Or, perhaps even better, buy an aromatic oil and give her massages yourself…
Which aromatic oil should you choose? Here’s what Moon recommends…
Once you’ve chosen the aromatic oil, mix it with a carrier oil, such as grapeseed. (Any type will work—just make sure that you’re not allergic to it, because some people are allergic to jojoba and nut oils.) The usual ratio is three to five drops of essential oil per tablespoon of carrier oil. At health-food stores or online, half-ounce bottles of essential oils cost about $10 and carrier oils run $5 to $10 for six-to-eight ounce bottles. The person giving the massage should use an amount of the mixture that makes the hands slightly slippery.
Men, start the massage by using a Swedish technique called effleurage—a series of smooth, gliding, hand-over-hand strokes with your palms moving up the back, shoulders, arms and legs. Next, try pettrisage, which means to knead the muscles, as you would dough. Start by using your fingertips and then try your knuckles, fists or elbows. (Don’t press too hard!) Then make circular motions, using any part of your hand. Follow that with tapotement, a series of brisk percussive movements, in which you tap the body with the edges of your hands. And end with more gentle, soothing nerve strokes down the body with your fingertips—this is calming.
To see how massage is typically performed, Moon recommends watching this AMTA video.
