The Newest Headlines Surrounding Massage Chairs and Human Touch

I have an  iJoy® Massage Chair and Ottoman 2.0® foot & calf massager.  The combo is better than gold to me!  I suffer from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) Hyper-Mobility Type III, which means all of my joints are hyper-mobile; I can sublux most of them at will.  You are not supposed to be able to do this.  They also sublux when I don’t want them to, this is not fun.

This also gives me excruciating and constant pain called muscular skeletal myofacial pain.  My pain is worse than someone suffering from fibromyalgia.  It feels similar to chronic, severe muscle pain.  Its cause is due to the fact that my joints are so loose; my muscles fight to hold my bones together every time I move.  Basically my bones are ripping my muscles apart. 

I also have bone spurring occurring in my spine because my joints are so loose it is actually shaking my body apart.  This bone spurring is cutting into the nerves that run inside the spine between c3-c4.  The surgery to correct this is so dangerous, though, that they won’t do it until I have absolutely no other options.

 There is no cure for my disease and physical therapy and massage therapy have been my most effective treatment options.  I also take a fair amount of prescription pain, anti-inflammatory and anti-swelling medication. Additionally, I use a TENS unit, utilizing eight electrodes on a daily basis for pain.  The TENS unit uses electrodes with electricity to interrupt the nerves to help minimize the pain.  Most people use four electrodes and usually for a short period of time per day.  The picture to the left shows the wires and electrodes I fight daily just to try and function.

And with all of this, I still could hardly move and the pain was unbearable.  I was grasping at straws for anything that would work when I ordered my Human Touch® iJoy® massage chair and Ottoman 2.0.  I struck gold!!!  I didn’t realize how swollen I was and how well both the chair and ottoman would be able to help me reduce my pain and swelling.

One of the things that I enjoy most about my Ottoman 2.0® is that I’m able to slide the ottoman up to the upper part of my calf, which is where I desperately need the massage. It relieves so much pain and swelling that I can actually walk and touch my heels to the floor when I am done, which had been a struggle for me to do.  Nothing else has been able to accomplish this.

The chair relieves more pressure and pain from muscles in my back that even the TENS unit. It also helps bring some of the feeling back into my right arm with the massage / stimulation it provides.  Also the massage I get from this chair seems to last longer than the TENS unit.  After getting my 30 minute massage on my back in my chair the relief lasts for 1 – 1 1/2 days.  It is just wonderful.

I don’t know what I would do without my massage chair and Ottoman.  Having it at home is a life saver.  I am able to get my massage anytime day or night because my massage chair & ottoman are waiting for me right in the comfort of my home…

Of all the products I have seen like Human Touch®, I can say that Human Touch® massage chairs are simply the best that money can buy. My Human Touch® massage chair and Ottoman 2.0® combo have been indispensible in my ability to relieve pain, reduce swelling and increase my quality of life.

Even with everything else the doctors have given me, my massage combo is more important than gold.  Thank you Human Touch®. I feel like you have given me a part of my life back! Please don’t ever stop making these amazing products, I don’t know what I would do without them…

Thank you,

Gwyn C. Anderson
(EDS) Hyper-Mobility Type III and Chronic Pain Sufferer
La Crosse, WI

San Diego (SHRM Annual Conference & Expo) – June 28, 2010 – Human Touch®, the U.S. market leader of innovative massage chairs, Perfect Chair® Recliners, and other wellness solutions, announces the introduction of its new Feel Better® @ Work Program at the 2010 Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Annual Conference & Expo in San Diego, June 27-30, at the San Diego Convention Center (Booth #3542). This new program is designed to enhance employee wellness in corporate environments by incorporating massage therapy and Human Touch® massage chairs into the workplace.

“Numerous studies have shown that stress in the workplace is on the rise and its effects are costly,” said Bill Rice, Corporate Sales, Human Touch, LLC. According to the Department of Health and Human Services (among others), stress related costs to employers exceed $200 billion annually in the form of increased insurance and workers compensation costs, lower productivity, increased absenteeism, and turnover. The Feel Better® @ Work Program has been designed as a cost effective method to enhance on-site employee wellness initiatives. Regular use of Human Touch® massage chair therapy will benefit employees by delivering an enhanced sense of well being and relaxation therefore reducing stress and improving productivity.”

The Feel Better® @ Work Program is a program designed to incorporate massage therapy and relaxation into the workplace environment by encouraging regular use of Human Touch® massage chairs among employees. The program’s key benefits include reduced employee stress, improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, improved recruitment and retention, augmenting of existing corporate wellness efforts, and the ability to offer employees a 24/7 massage therapy benefit in the workplace.

As part of the program launch, Human Touch is looking to establish a limited number of corporate partnerships to pilot the program and validate its effectiveness.  Participating employers will receive two complimentary Human Touch® massage chairs to place in their workplace setting for 90 days, during which their employees will be encouraged to use the massage chairs daily and provide feedback via surveys and interviews. After 90 days, participating companies and organizations will have the option to purchase the chairs at an exclusive, discounted rate.

Human Touch® will be offering the following massage chairs and wellness solutions through the Feel Better® @ Work program:

• AcuTouch™ HT-7450 Zero-Gravity Massage Chair: Recommended by the World Federation of Chiropractic, this is the first massage chair that incorporates the latest advances in both massage and back-care technology to counteract back and muscle pain caused by gravity’s adverse effects. Once seated, the chair’s back, seat and footrest synchronously recline to situate the body in a position that reduces the physical strain that is exerted on the body by gravity. Its patented Acupoint® Detection System then scans the entire length of the back creating a map of key pressure points to target during the massage.
• Human Touch® WholeBody™ HT-5040 Massage Chair: A Platinum winner of the 2010 ADEX Awards for design excellence, the HT-5040 Massage Chair features the best massage technology capabilities available today. This state-of-the-art massage chair delivers a targeted head-to-toe massage therapy experience to melt away pain and stress at the push of a button, all in an affordable and stunning package.
• Human Touch® Perfect Chair PC-085 Recliner: The Perfect Chair® Zero-Gravity Recliner lends the best of aesthetics, technology and wellness in a seating experience that transcends the highest standards of comfort. The electric recline system eases the body into a virtually weightless position as it elevates the legs above the heart and relieves weight from the spine. This remarkable chair – inspired by the zero-gravity chaise developed by NASA to support astronauts during their ascent into orbit – relieves the soreness, tension, and fatigue caused by the earth’s constant pulling.
• CirQlation™ Foot & Calf Massagers: CirQlation™ Foot & Calf Massagers are designed to melt away pain and fatigue in the feet and calves. Featuring Human Touch’s patented Figure-Eight™ Technology, these foot & calf massagers massage the calves in an upward, rolling or wave-like fashion, which forces blood away from the feet and toward the core of the body to improve blood flow and wellness.

During the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo, Human Touch® will introduce the new Feel Better® @ Work Program to human resources (HR) decision-makers, as well as showcase its state-of-the-art massage chairs and wellness solutions in Booth #3542 at the San Diego Convention Center. The SHRM Annual Conference & Expo is the largest annual event of its kind for HR professionals.

About Human Touch®
In pushing the boundaries of its traditional massage chairs and wellness products through advanced proprietary technology and innovation, Human Touch® is focused on infusing health and wellness into everyday lives through high-quality, design-oriented and award-winning massage chairs, Zero-Gravity Perfect Chair® Recliners and other wellness products and solutions. Human Touch® has been making people feel better™ for more than 30 years by developing state-of-the-art massage and wellness products, as well as by providing valuable consumer education about the substantial health and wellness benefits of regular massage therapy, relaxation and proper posture. Stress relief, increased range of motion, pain relief, improved circulation and increased immunity are just some of the valuable health benefits associated with regular massage therapy. Human Touch® products are available at back care specialty stores, fine furniture stores across the country, through international retailers and distributors in more than 40 countries, as well as online at www.humantouch.com.

# # #

Media Contact:

Rachel Neppes
BERKMAN for Human Touch®
619.231.9977 x306 (office)
619.405.3917 (cell)
racheln@berkmanpr.com

By Dr. Hoon C. Kim

The origin of the word “massage” is derived from either the Arabic word “mass,” meaning to touch, or the Greek word “massein,” to knead. In traditional Chinese medicine, massage is known as anma or tuina, which literally means pressing or rubbing.

The picture on the right, which was printed in Korea during the Joseon dynasty (AD 1392-AD 1897), shows the meridian system in the back, where our vital life energy (Qi[chee] ) flows up and down, intersecting, stopping and moving like a very complicated road system.

In traditional Chinese medicine, disharmony within the energy system causes pain.  A good, constant flow of energy will leave you pain free. It is because of this concept that massage or body work is so popular in Asian countries. These therapies are considered an important part of treating and preventing disease and staying fit, and further the primary treatment of pain by alleviating the physical and emotional tensions of daily life.

In particular, the Urinary Bladder is the longest meridian and runs through the whole back; from the eyes and the head, through neck and down to the feet. There are points on the back, named feishu (lung), ganshu (liver), danshu (gall bladder), pishu (spleen), and weishu (stomach), which at times show the condition of each organ. They can be tender to palpation, red and swollen, and therefore many acupuncturists use these points to address not only the local muscular skeletal disorder but to also identify the internal disorder.  Theoretically, if you have a healthy meridian in the back, you are healthy overall.

The question is then, how do we apply massage therapy to our daily lives in order to improve our overall health and wellness? My wife and I just started using our Human Touch^® massage chair and have been so impressed with the way it operates. I have never seen such a variety of massage techniques and capabilities in any other massage chair.  It really understands the human body and addresses the right areas with the proper amount of pressure to be effective. It is extremely knowledgeable of professional massage techniques and intuitive to how the human body responds to massage therapy.

Human Touch would like to congratulate Aura, for her winning entry in our Superhero Dad Father’s Day Contest!

*THE WINNING ENTRY*

My husband is the most devoted daddy out there. I can’t imagine any man who deserves a human touch massage chair more than him for Father’s Day. Who else would sleep for 6 months straight in the ICU with their child while still working full time and making sure to set aside time for his little guy at home? (talk about stress!) For the 3 1/2 years of our son’s life he was the most devoted dad- and continues to be a real superhero dad to our 4 healthy children. I wish I had the super-powers to massage away all his stress, but I don’t. Luckily I hear the HT-275 ThermoStretch™ massage chair is great for stress relief.

Thank you to everyone who participated and be sure to stay tuned for upcoming contests and giveaways. Finally, we would like to wish all of our Superhero Dads a very happy Father’s Day!

The University of California,Irvine (UCI) Fully-Employed MBA (FEMBA) Banquet was held May 21^st, 2010, and Human Touch® was there to celebrate. During the banquet, Andrew Corkill, Director of Marketing at Human Touch®, who is also a recent FEMBA graduate from UCI, showed his appreciation to FEMBA program staff by donating two Human Touch CirQlation™ Pro foot & calf massagers to the Paul Merage School of Business program office.

Corkill was also recently awarded by FEMBA as the “Best Team Player” for the class of 2010. The Fully-Employed MBA Awards Banquet was held at the Hyatt Regency in Irvine, CA to celebrate the success of the class of 2010. The evening included awards for Top Academic Achievement, Best Faculty and Top Student Awards. The FEMBA office is instrumental in helping students through the three-year program that includes internationally acclaimed staff members and international residential courses.

“I’m happy to have had the opportunity to participate in this program at the Paul Merage School of Business,” Corkill said. “It has been very fulfilling and tremendously helpful to refining our company’s marketing and product strategy. Three of our group projects were focused on Human Touch®, and the research, information and results from these projects are still in use to this day. This program has helped to educate and enlighten me, while benefiting Human Touch® in many ways. This program would not be possible without the tremendous support provided by the program staff.”

The UCI, Irvine FEMBA course is ranked 24^th in the nation among Fully-Employed MBA courses by U.S. News & World Report, and is one of the most honored schools in Southern California.