VALLEY — For the second straight week, someone from West Point Family Chiropractic was the guest speaker at the Kiwanis Club of Valley’s weekly meeting. Last week, Dr. Brenton Jones talked the chiropractic side; this week, licensed massage therapist Tracie Smith demonstrated chair massages to several grateful members of the club.

“He deals with the bones. I deal with the muscles,” Smith said, explaining how the two professions go hand in hand in the same office.

Smith learned massage therapy at a private school in Opelika.

“I like the relaxation effect of it,” she said. “It can lower your blood pressure and kick start your lymphatic system.”

Smith said that she has gotten some of her clients to come off their blood pressure medication due to a weekly massage regimen.

She brought a massage chair with her and performed back massages on club members Bobby Ann McCullough, Julie Wood and Bethany Roughton.

“This is the best way to introduce people to the benefits of massage,” she said. “Each client is different. Their needs are different. Some people have upper back problems because they have been sitting in front of a computer screen all day.”

Smith said that having a massage once a month or so is a good practice. She said that massage is a proven way to relieve stress.

“Some people feel comfortable enough to let it all go when they are on my table.,” she said. “They have been holding in their stress to be strong for their friends and family.”

Smith also talked about cup massage. This is based on the local impact on the human body with rarefied air. It’s a type of vacuum therapy that uses medical cups. It can leave marks on the body that could last for a couple of days or so but can bring relief to problem areas.

Smith’s prices are reasonable: $25 for a half hour and $50 for an hour.

“It shouldn’t be where people can’t afford it,” she said. “I make appointments two or three weeks ahead of time. Having a massage once a month is my goal, but some people come once a week. It depends on what they have been doing to their body.”

“I feel much better now,” McCollough added after her back massage. “I’m ready to go back to work now.”

“This has been one of the most interactive programs we have had in a
long time,” said Henry Bledsoe.