motd Monday Feb 27, 2012

[Guest guest]

JUST A TOUCH

Monday, 27 February 2012

Okay, time for a little grammar school health

lesson. Quick, name your body's five senses. (I'll

wait.) Remembered what they are yet? Well, in case

you missed any, here ya' go...

Sight, hearing, smell, taste, (of course),

and...? Okay, what's the fifth one? (What, did you

forget?) It's

touch! And

of all the five senses, touch is probably the one we

most often take for granted. Oh sure, seeing and

hearing are extremely important and I don't even have

to talk about that very important

sense of taste, do I? LOL. But think

about what your body would be like without the sense

of touch.

The sense of touch is

distributed throughout your body.

The sense of touch is distributed throughout your

body. Nerve endings in the skin and other parts of

the body transmit sensations to your brain and you

get the feeling of that object...from touching

it. Some parts of the body have a larger number

of nerve endings and are more sensitive to touch. For

instance, your fingertips have a very large

concentration of nerve endings and readily feel the

sensations of heat, cold, pain and...contact. And

that's the thing I want to talk about now...contact.

Let me begin by asking you something. How often do

you lay a comforting hand on someone or give them a

reassuring pat on the shoulder? When's the last time

you gave a friend or family member a big, warm hug,

huh? It feels good to them and probably feels good to

you, too. Doesn't it?

Researchers have found that

touch is a much more sophisticated sense than we

realized.

After studying everything from hugs to high-fives,

researchers have found that touch is a much more

sophisticated sense than we realized. One of the key

places touching can make a positive difference is in

our families. A lot of fathers are reluctant to hug

their sons because it doesn't seem very "manly." That's

just plain silly! In fact,

giving a son, daughter, sister or brother a heartfelt

hug actually increases the bonding between family

members. That's why it's so important for parents to

hug their children.

Did you know that touching can actually make you

healthier? Do you have a friend who knows how to give

a good neck rub? Ahhhhhh,

they feel so good! But not only do those rubs make

you feel good, they can also help boost your immune

system. Various studies have shown that massages,

back rubs and even more of that simple hugging helps

ease asthma, migraine headaches and lead to a more

restful night's sleep. I'm a big fan of massages and

have been for years. They help keep me relaxed and

focused. If you haven't had a massage lately or ever,

I highly recommend them!

So let me ask again, how often do you touch the

people you care about? Our bodies need a lot of

things and touching, hugging or simply holding

someone's hand can do so much good for a person's

feelings...including your own.

I'm one of those really

touchy-feeling kinda people.

I gladly admit to being one of those really

touchy-feely kinda people. When I'm talking to

someone about their weight or any problem they may be

having, I like to look them right in the eye as I hold

their hands. It creates an almost instant bond,

establishing trust between us.

And just think, it all began with...just a touch.

Love,