GAZETTE Tampa Bay Gay and Lesbian News

By Tanya Baker
The pressures and stresses of contemporary life, trying to fit everything into an already busy schedule, can take its toll on the human body. Medical experts warn that, left unchecked, these stresses can lead to serious health problems.

According to licensed massage therapist Roger Medrano, conventional medicine offers relief but using it in combination with other methods such as massage therapy can increase the health benefits.

"Touch is the most basic form of relief. When you fell as a child and scraped your knee the first thing your mother did was rub it," he said. Medrano owns and operates Bodywork Massage and Skin Therapy Center in Tampa and Springs Relaxation Center in Tarpon Springs. He became a massage therapist while pursing an undergraduate degree in nursing. "Now here I am, 18 years after receiving my master's degree in nursing and I've stopped it altogether. Massage was actually a starting point for me in my nursing career and it has turned into a full-time, profitable, business."

For many people, massage is little more than foreplay. An erotic backrub is often a precursor to sex. Indeed, largely owing to the prevalence of "massage parlor" prostitution, legitimizing massage as a medical therapy has at times been challenging. But Medrano says that attitude is changing.

According to Medrano, the state of Florida has a Medicaid Waiver Program called Project AIDS Care (PAC), designed to keep HIV and AIDS patients out of the hospital, and it pays to have some of its patients massaged twice a month. "Even the state level government recognizes the benefits of massage therapy and other alternative therapies." The Tampa location has openings remaining for PAC Waiver clients and anyone interested may want to speak with a case manager and have him or her contact the office.

Medrano and his staff also work hand in hand with organizations like TAN and Metropolitan Ministries with their HIV and AIDS cases. "We find that a lot of medicines create side effects. Massage therapy helps stabilize blood pressure and relives muscle cramping," he said.

Massage is much more than a soothing backrub. Skilled therapists can help to heal overexerted muscles and relieve strains that can inhibit range of motion and cause acute or chronic pain. Therapeutic massage can relieve pressure points before they become severe enough to cause muscle spasms or other problems.

Being educated in conventional as well as alternative medicines and therapies gives Medrano a perspective on both. "As a whole, America is a minority in the thought process of taking a pill for something. I think alternative care is pretty much the norm in other countries."

Bodywork and Massage also offers a full line of services designed to pamper and relax. Facials, body wraps and deep tissue, Thai and hot stone massages are available. Each location has a professional licensed staff with multiple rooms providing privacy and comfort. Medrano will soon be opening a third location on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. "It is very important to your overall well-being that you do something for yourself on a daily basis whether it be a massage, going to the gym or just stopping to take a break," said Medrano.

FMI: click here or call 813-286-2125 or 727-421-2293.

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