The right combo to a healthful lifestyle Sue Burroughs knows stress. She’s a financial advisor trying to soothe the worries of investors. And in the past three years, she has tried to cope with the grief that came with the passing of family members. Through it all, however, her body never became twisted with the stress, as so often happens. She credits the multiple types of body works she does: massage, shiatsu, acupuncture, ballet, yoga, and inner body workouts.

It all started innocently — with two massages a week. But it wasn’t enough. She added shiatsu to the program. “From the very first appointment, I had relief from neck pain that I’ve had since a car accident in ‘85,” she said. “It was gone. And I had this sense of well-being. So I started adding other treatments. I began to realize that I couldn’t rely on passive body work. I needed to do more active stuff.”

Peaceful Spirit’s Mara Concordia, who first suggested Burroughs mix and match her body treatments, isn’t surprised. “I believe that by combining different lifestyle changes and healing modalities,” she explained, “you get synergistic results.” Mara tells the story of a client, a senior citizen, who works out three or four times a week, who had come to her for hip and foot pain. Mara combined two treatments to help her heal. “I worked with her with massage, and I taught her very specific stretches to do for the muscles in her hips. ... Consequently, no more hip pain.” Imagine, said Mara, that you have chronic lower back pain. “One massage would give you benefits that may last you a day to a week or more,” she said. “If you add a movement class, where you learn how to move the body in such a way as to not perpetuate the problem, you’ll get benefits that will last all your life.”

Barbara Moore, a quadriplegic who has dealt with pain much of her life, also swears by the multiple modality approach. “I do yoga, massage, shiatsu, Belavi facelift massage and chiropractic,” she said with relish in her voice. “They help with circulation, lower back and shoulder pains. Combining the body work has made a great deal of difference in working with what muscles I have left. It provides a great deal of balance.”

To find what combination of methods might work best for you, give Peaceful Spirit a call. “Once we hear what’s going on with your body, then we can make recommendations on what to do first,” Mara said. Yes, you ask, but isn’t seeing a variety of practitioners likely to increase the amount of money you pay? “But you are going to get results,” said Mara. “And I personally believe that ultimately it will cost less because you are going to be in better health. Who knows what you will have prevented.” Burroughs would agree with that. “I can’t express how much it changed my life,” she said of combining body work. “It’s made such a difference in my well-being.”