Inuvik (Feb 11/05) - Feeling worn out? Stressed? Have a nagging pain that just won't go away?

Perhaps a visit to a massage therapist is the answer.

Donna Biro, a recent arrival from down south, who just happens to be a registered massage therapist, is Inuvik's newest source of relief for muscle tension and restored inner energy.

"Getting a massage can awaken a people's interest in their bodies and by doing that you can learn to take care of your own health," said the 64-year-old who used to be a sheep rancher in British Columbia.

Her desire to take up a new vocation resulted in Biro studying at the College of Massage Therapy in Vancouver, where she graduated in 1994. After honing her craft at an inner-city clinic in Vancouver and later in Kamloops, Biro decided it was time to strike out on her own.

"In the B.C. medical system, I was restricted to piecework," she said. "Basically, patients would be charged for the body part I was working on. I wanted to get away from that." Biro prefers the holistic approach, scanning a client's entire body for problems.

"People have common referral areas where a problem in one muscle can lead to pain somewhere else," Biro explained.

For example, tight or knotted muscles in the shoulder blade can refer pain to the arm or hand.

In addition to light massage, Biro uses deep tissue massage techniques such as neuromuscular release and trigger point therapy. In these deeper applications, Biro works the bone where the muscle is attached to release the tension buildup.

In more than 10 years of giving massages, Biro has successfully treated a litany of health problems including whiplash, tendonitis, chronic headaches and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Biro says the benefits of massage come from increased blood flow.

Regardless of whether one goes for a light massage or the deep tissue variety, Biro said, "It has a physiological benefit, no matter how it's done."