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Last week, I wrote about the secret to a great massage: to focus in and fight the temptation to drift off into nothingness. This week, I’m shifting gears slightly, to discuss two slightly-under-the-radar techniques that I think are light years more evolved than the traditional Swedish massage. What’s surprising about these therapies is how gentle they are; the therapist’s hands work your body so lightly that it’s hard to believe you’ll get much benefit. But trust me, you do.

These forms of energy healing rely as much on the therapist’s touch as on a slightly mysterious transmission of energy from practitioner to subject. I know it sounds pretty out there in cuckoo territory, but even if it’s just the power of a placebo effect, there’s something totally relaxing about this stuff. Try these the next time you’re in need of some focused, hands-on attention.

The Trager approach: Inner peace in 90 minutes
Trager practitioners teach your body to move in a way that’s natural and comfortable, and show you how to avoid holding yourself in positions that can hurt you—think of the way you hold your shoulders when you’re tense, for example. During a session, you lie clothed (it’s best if you go dressed in comfy workout wear or sweats) on a massage table. Sessions last 60 to 90 minutes, during which the therapist urges you to let go of tension as she very gently rocks, cradles, and stretches various parts of you, starting with your neck, until she feels that your muscles have stopped resisting her ministrations.

Trager practitioners believe that your body can remember what it feels like to lose the restrictions that cause pain, and that training through Trager sessions and dance-like exercises called Mentastics can help you keep your muscles tension free. Your therapist will probably send you home with an exercise or two to keep you on the Trager track.

Find Trager–certified practitioners and learn more at Trager.com.

Craniosacral therapy: Sounds weird, feels great
These therapists use very light touch to, as they say, evaluate and enhance the craniosacral system, or the membranes and fluids surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Currently, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Medical School are studying CST’s ability to ease migraines.

I don’t know about migraines, but CST sessions have obliterated pain when I’ve had an occasional stiff neck. During sessions, you lie on the massage table; clothes are optional, depending on your own and your masseuse’s preference. To start, the healer’s hands softly cup the base of your skull. I’ve experienced sensations of warmth that spread from the healer’s hands into my neck and the base of my skull—a profoundly relaxing, soothing feeling.

The practice involves gentle pressure—about the weight of a nickel—on various points of your body to stimulate flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Though the descriptions of the practice on the organization’s website are practically incomprehensible, my experience with CST is that it feels wonderful. Often, therapists use it as one of several techniques they’ll employ during “eclectic” or “integrative” sessions that combine several different massage practices.

Find trained practitioners and more information at CraniosacralTherapy.org.

Of course, there are more traditional types of massage that feel great too—especially when you’ve got kinks and knots that really need to be worked out. (View a slideshow of four popular options.) But I’d highly recommend one of these New Agey rubdowns if you’re itching for something a little different. The approximate cost for either Trager or craniosacral therapy is about $60 to $100 a session. But the experience you’ll likely take from it? Priceless.

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There’s good news for women who suffer migraines—and most other types of headaches—which they do at twice the rate of men. Headaches are one area where the new focus on prevention can be seen in a host of treatment options, including Botox. Considered experimental just a few years ago, Botox injections (in which the botulinum toxin type A is used to paralyze specific muscles in the forehead, brow, temples, and neck) is now offered by many hospital pain clinics. Botox is also extremely effective for certain types of neck pain, such as cervical dystonia.

Another treatment that’s crossing over from fringy “alternative” practitioners to mainstream pain clinics is neuromodulation, a.k.a. transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). “Think of TENS as acupuncture without needles that you can wear at home,” says Joseph Shurman, MD, pioneer of a new pain-management model at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California, and chairman of pain management.

Extremely effective for neck pain, back pain, and some kinds of headaches, the treatment involves applying electrodes to the skin to stimulate particular nerves. “Neuromodulation works by trying to change the pain message into something else,” Kirschen says.

Acupuncture is also a routine part of treatment in many headache clinics; it’s used in conjunction with pain medication and other treatments. Women seem to respond particularly well to this therapy, Young says. “There are certain acupuncture points that are better for women than for men,” he adds.

 
By Melanie Haiken

In the past year, some of the biggest headlines in pain management have been about fibromyalgia (chronic bodywide pain in joints, muscles, and tendons) and CFS, two conditions that strike women at as much as six times the rate of men. After years of failing to take these conditions seriously, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other groups have recently mounted aggressive public-information campaigns alerting women to the prevalence of these conditions and the importance of accurate diagnosis and treatment. Experts have also made dramatic gains in finding treatments that work by focusing on the sleep problems and physical weakness that seem to fuel these diseases.

Marly Silverman of Pompano Beach, Florida, was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and CFS more than 10 years ago. “It felt like acid chemicals going through my veins,” she says, describing the excruciating pain that forced her to quit her job as vice president of a bank after fruitlessly seeking treatment from a variety of specialists. Today, Silverman manages her pain with a plethora of remedies, including painkillers, anti­spasmodics (muscle relaxants), and lidocaine patches for localized pain. To speed research into these complex and mysterious illnesses, Silverman founded PANDORA, a patient advocacy and research organization that cosponsors a national conference on the latest research into these and related neuroendocrine immune conditions.

In studying other immune-triggered conditions such as Crohn’s Disease—which also affects women at two to six times the rate of men—experts have made a similar breakthrough. Instead of treating digestive symptoms such as gas, diarrhea, and constipation (common in Crohn’s and IBS), experts realized the culprit might be an underlying food sensitivity, most likely to wheat gluten, milk protein, or one of several other common allergens. What happens, integrative pain specialist Deborah Metzger says, is that an overreactive immune system protests against the irritating foods, causing systemic inflammation throughout the body. She says that in recent years she’s had great success by putting patients on the Sugar Busters diet, which eliminates sugar, white flour, and other suspect foods. Metzger’s advice: Find a doctor who will analyze all aspects of your lifestyle rather than just medicate pain symptoms.

 
By Melanie Haiken

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We know that men don’t suffer menstrual pain, but that’s not the only fun they’re missing. “Research is uncovering very dramatic differences in how the genders experience pain,” says Mark Allen Young, a professor at New York College of Podiatric Medicine and author of Women and Pain: Why It Hurts and What You Can Do.

It all starts with hormones. There is no getting around how profoundly hormones like estrogen and testosterone affect the central nervous system, which is responsible for perceiving and transmitting the sensation of pain.

According to experts, this is one reason why conditions such as osteoarthritis, headaches, and irritable bowel syndrome strike women at much higher rates than men.

Our physical differences really matter, too. “We’ve only recently begun to grasp that women’s body architecture is completely different from men’s,” Young says. Because women walk differently, for instance, they put pressure on joints, muscles, and bones in very different ways than men do. “Starting with the knees and hips and working up to the shoulders, spine, and neck, how a person walks can have a huge impact on how pain develops later in life,” Young says. Just last year, one medical-implant maker finally recognized this fact by creating a knee implant just for women.

Women are also more prone to conditions involving the immune system, says Deborah Metzger, MD, an OB-GYN and specialist in integrative pain management in Los Altos, California. Scientists have long known that women have stronger immune systems than men, she says. That strength can backfire, though, leading women to suffer from far more autoimmune disorders—in which the immune system attacks itself—and the host of mysterious diseases thought to sometimes result from an overreactive immune system, such as celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and many types of pelvic pain.

“Women tend to have hyperalert immune systems, which is good,” Metzger says. “But once the immune system gets stirred up, it can turn into a feeding frenzy.” The fired-up immune activity produces inflammatory chemicals that fuel all types of muscle and joint pain; it can also activate nerves in vulnerable spots like the lower back (sciatica), the head (migraines), and the pelvis (endometriosis and pelvic pain).

 
By Melanie Haiken

It’s no wonder laptops are now more popular than desktops—they’re just so liberating. But anyone who loves her laptop knows there can be agony in all that ecstasy: Using them regularly can make your neck throb, eyes ache, and shoulders cry uncle. Thankfully, some simple accessories and adjustments can help ease the ache without tying you down.

Baby your eyes with a filter
Anti-glare filters can help reduce the eyestrain you can get from staring at shiny, reflective screens (you tend to blink less when looking at them), says ergonomics expert Alan Hedge, director of Cornell University’s Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory. The Protection Filters from 3M ($35 to $55, depending on monitor size, at Staples) attach to your screen with small plastic clips. If you need both a glare fix and an answer for nosy java-joint neighbors, 3M’s Privacy Filters ($40 to $60 at OfficeMax) make your screen seem black to anyone not looking at it dead-on.

Save your back with a stand
Traded your desktop for a laptop but still feel tethered to your desk? A stand can help eliminate many problems, including the back and shoulder pain that Boston University researchers recently documented in 90 percent of laptop users they studied. Experts say the aches come from squeezing your arms together to finger a laptop’s compressed keyboard and hunching over to see the low screen. The APC Ergonomic Notebook Stand with USB 2.0 Hub ($79.99 at Best Buy) offers relief by elevating your screen to eye level and providing space and hookups for a full-size keyboard and mouse. The stand connects to your laptop via a short USB cable, and you plug the other devices into the stand. Got to run to a meeting or catch a flight? Just unplug the one USB cable from your laptop and go.

Lighten your load
The right laptop case is a must for long airport dashes that can do a number on your shoulders and back. That’s why wheeled bags are so popular with the frequent-flyer crowd. We like the Travelpro Runway Deluxe Brief/Tote ($199.99 at Marshall Field’s and Bloomingdale’s), with single-hand operation and ergonomic zipper pulls. For the nonwheeled, try the American Chiropractic Association–endorsed Kensington Contour Carrying Case line ($59.99 to $129.99, depending on bag size, at Best Buy, Circuit City, or www.kensington.com). Because the case hugs your body, the laptop feels lighter, and the heavily padded strap eases shoulder strain. Another smart option: the classy Pacific Design Urban Executive Case ($99.95 at www.pacificdesign.com), whose vertical style allows you to more evenly distribute the weight of your computer on your hip.

Beat heat with a cooling pad
Most laptops heat up pretty fast, and a cooling pad can protect you from the kind of thigh burns reported by laptop users in a number of medical journals. A pad might also guard against another problem identified in a recent State University of New York at Stony Brook study on men: hikes in scrotal temperature, which can decrease fertility. Take the edge off with the comfortable and lightweight (less than a pound) Targus Chill Mat ($29.99 at CompUSA and Staples), a sleek silver pad that uses ultraquiet fans to suck heat away from your notebook. The mat makes your computer run cooler on both your legs and hard surfaces, and that may extend its life.

Take frequent breaks
Beyond accessories, Cornell’s Hedge says just taking a breather can do wonders for aches and pains. But if you’re so busy blogging that you forget to step away and stretch, try reminder software. Stretch Break 6.0 ($44.95 at www.stretchbreak.com) flashes a box on your screen every 30 minutes (or however often you like) with directions for three quick body and eye stretches. It plays soothing music, too.

How to Beat BlackBerry Thumb
Regular use of those Lilliputian keyboards on personal digital assistants (PDAs) like the BlackBerry can lead to thumb tendonitis. “If you’re text messaging ‘R U there?’ you’re probably not going to have problems,” says Cornell University ergonomics expert Alan Hedge. But lengthier missives mean trouble. His advice: Keep your wrists straight while typing, rest arms on pillows, and take breaks. Better yet, connect a specially designed Man and Machine keyboard ($80 to $189 at www.man-machine.com). They’re big enough to let you type with all your fingers, water resistant, and rubbery so you can roll them up for storage.

 
Rachael Moeller Gorman writes about science and health on her brand-new notebook computer—with a stand and external keyboard, of course.

Are you sitting up straight? Super—because if you slump, slouch, or hunch through the day, you may join the 80 percent of Americans who will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Recent research confirms that what you do every day can trigger soreness or spasms.

So whether you’re at home Googling for a great deal on Jimmy Choos or sashaying down the street in those heels, you can save yourself some discomfort by babying your back. Here’s how.

1. Forget the salute
“Good posture is not standing like a soldier at attention,” says Arthur White, MD, a renowned back surgeon and author of The Posture Prescription. That General Patton stance puts pressure on the spine. Instead, White recommends standing in a relaxed, balanced manner. And you should check your stance throughout the day—when you’re waiting for a latté, say, or an elevator—and adjust as needed.

That’s what Jean Schatz of Wrentham, Massachusetts, started doing after severe back pain threatened to end her dental-hygienist career. “When I reposition myself, it always feels better,” she says. “I’ve actually had people tell me that I look taller.”

2. Put your feet first
High arches, flat feet: These foot problems, among others, can sabotage your posture and lead to an aching back. Women are particularly vulnerable; they suffer from four times as many foot ailments as men. And narrow, ill-fitting high heels are enemy number one. But doctors agree that custom-made corrective shoe inserts (orthotics) can improve most of these troubles. There are even “dress” orthotics for your pumps. “Orthotics can tilt the alignment into balance and relieve back stress,” says Robert Shmerling, MD, a Harvard Medical School associate professor.

They can be expensive, though—$250 to $400—and generally aren’t covered by insurance. But moderation can help, too. Wear those Choos for meetings and parties, but for extensive walking, slip on comfortable shoes (heels no higher than 1 ½ inches, or 2 inches for wedges).

Next page: Walk this way

Dashing through the snow laden with shopping bags. Hanging off the ladder to put up the mistletoe. Lifting the suitcase into the car. No wonder your back hurts.

Aches and pains that pop up over the holidays are no surprise to Charles Rosen, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon at the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center, who says he sees a pattern of injuries every December. “One bad twist, stretch, or bend can cause pressure to build up inside the spinal disks in your spine, leading to a tear,” he says.

Avoid holiday strains with Rosen’s tips and stay limber with our stretches for the season.

Carry on. When toting bags, distribute the weight evenly, so you’re not hoisting your giant Kate Spade purse, gym duffel, and shopping bags all on the same side.

Climb right. Using a ladder? Move it in as close to the tree as possible and never stand on the top rung or climb with both hands full. If you’re holding something heavy, be sure you have a spotter. And don’t reach too far. A good rule of thumb: Don’t let your hips extend past the sides of the ladder.

Lift smart. When moving packages, bring the box in close while lifting or lowering, turn your whole body (not just at the waist), and use your legs.

De-stress. Staying calm and cool is good for your back health as well as your general well-being, Rosen says. “Studies show that emotional tension can translate to a physically robotlike state that prevents you from moving easily or fluidly. And that stiffness makes it easier for people to get into awkward positions that can cause them to stress their backs. This is a vicious cycle because once you have back pain, you’re even more stressed!”

 
By Leslie Goldman