THE MAGIC OF MASSAGE

This old oriental tale demonstrates the power of massage

"Once upon a time there was a young woman called Fatima, who was constantly scolded and nagged by her mother-in-law. Eventually, Fatima could no longer stand this and went to the local herbalist for some poison to kill the old woman. 

After some thought, the herbalist gave her a heavily scented potion. He told her that this should be massaged into the skin daily and after six weeks her mother-in-law would die. Fatima did as she was instructed and each day she gave her mother-in-law a massage. 

Gradually, the old woman's vicious temper seemed to disappear, empathy grew between the two women, and after a while they started to understand each other. 

Fatima began to regret her desire to kill her mother-in-law, and as time ran out she became increasingly worried. Finally, she returned to the herbalist and begged for an antidote to the poison. 

The wise old man smiled and explained that no antidote was needed. The poison she had been massaging into the old woman's skin was simply a mixture of aromatic oils - the antidote to her situation."

-By Clare Maxwell-Hudson