When You Should Cancel Your Appointment
If you have a fever or an infectious illness, even the common cold, you should consider postphoning your massage appointment. For one thing, touch may not feel good. Also, you may be contagious, especially in the first stages sof a cold or flu. This is usually when you are feeling the worst, when you are coughing and sneezing frequently. The more you limit your contact with others, including your massage therapist, the less you will spread it around.
Studies show that you can transmit a cold or flue to others one or two days before your symptoms appear, and up to five days after first being exposed to the virus. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), colds are most contagious two to four days after original exposure, when there is plenty of the virus present in nasal secretions.
Another reason to avoid massage when you have a cold or flu is because it is thought that massage can actually increase the spread of infection in your body. If you are sick, your immune system is already working hard. Resting and drinking plenty of liquids will help you get on the road to recovery.
If you have any questions about whether you should have a massage when you are not feeling well, be sure to talk to talk to your massage therapist when scheduling the appointment. Also, if you are under the care of a physician, be sure to inform him/her that you are receiving massage therapy.
Call Yvonne for an appointment today — (202) 487-3652