Counseling Sheet

Agatha M. Thrash, M.D.
Preventive Medicine

1. Use a stiff-bristle brush, but not so stiff that it will scratch the skin.
2. Do the brush massage before the shower, while skin and brush are both dry.
3. Begin brushing at the fingertip in long, slow strokes up to the shoulders. Cover all the skin on one hand and arm. Proceed to the other arm. Next, beginning at the toes, brush slowly all the skin up to the knees, then from the knees to the groin, from the low abdomen to the chest, from the shoulders to the waist. The strokes should be always moving from the most distant part toward the heart except the back, which is brushed either from side to side, or in a sweeping arc. Reach every inch of skin possible, but go gently over tender areas or skin blemishes.
4. Take a cool shower, ending in a cold water splash, for the finishing touch to the brush massage. It is necessary to use soap only on hairy parts, hands, face, and feet. The use of much soap weakens the body's defenses against infection and dermatitis.