Friday, January 23, 2009

Massage, Harmful Or Not!

By Ann Chester

Why pay to have your back rubbed, is it a waste of money? Or are there real benefits from having a massage. The art of massage is much more than just a back rub. The benefits are very similar regardless of the type of massage given, although certain types of massage are better for sports and muscle injuries.

Well, what are these benefits? and is a massage worth the money? Although massage therapy was used for thousands of years by the Greeks, Egyptians, Romans and Chinese as part of their healing tradition, in the Western world it is fairly new. This therapy has only been used for a couple of hundred years in Europe, and for the majority of that time was only available to wealthy people.

Massage therapy was often prescribed as part of a treatment in traditional medicine. It would have been given with advice on diet, exercise and maybe even medicines that were to be taken internally.

There are many different types of massage therapy used in the West, and new ones are sometimes developed which are then incorporated into use. The art of massage is evolving all of the time, scientists keep finding more and more benefits, and so this therapy has gradually become incorporated into main stream medicine.

Does massage just relax you, or are there greater benefits? Most people will tell you how relaxed they feel after having a massage but the benefits can be far more wide spread throughout the body than that. Each type of massage is unique in its technique the benefits can be very similar although each type brings its own individual way of bringing healing to the body.

It is important to get used to listening to your body, we are all individuals and are changing all of the time. Maybe you have tried massage and thought that it was ok but didn't find any real benefit, then maybe it was the wrong type of massage for you at the moment.

One of the primary benefits of massage is relaxation, which can be very difficult to achieve, that is unless you happen to be into meditation. You live in a very stressful world and you were never designed to live your life as you do, rushing around and never finding time to relax. Yes of course your ancestors had stressful lives, but their stress came in short bursts, not continuous all day every day like yours is.

The hectic pace of life that you probably live, where you may feel you must be doing something all the time, will take its toll on you if you do not learn to relax. Mentally and physically feeling exhausted is not how you are meant to lead your life.

Environmental pollution in the air, and chemicals in your food puts toxins into your body, putting even greater strain on your body. Fortunately, a good massage works to help the body get rid of toxins and allows the body to relax, taking tension out of the tight muscles.

On the physical level a good massage will leave you feeling invigorated, when you have finished your massage you may feel as if you are walking on air.

Your blood circulation will be improved when you have a massage, and there will be an increase of flow of the lymphatic fluid throughout your body. Toxins in the cells can impede the correct working of those cells and when this happens disease can follow, a regular massage can help prevent this.

When you have a massage there is a lot of physical manipulation of the muscles, this can reduce stiffness, release tension and increase mobility. Due to the nature of this physical manipulation, massage is very good as part of your regular exercise regimine, as it can help in the prevention of muscle injury.

Many scientific studies confirm that massage therapy can:

Reduce heart rate.

Lower blood pressure (if high).

Increase blood circulation and lymphatic flow.

Stimulates weak and inactive muscles to compensate for lack of movement due to an illness or an injury, stiffened and tense muscles are also relaxed.

Increases endorphins.

Anxiety and tension is reduced.

Although this list looks impressive there is still a lot of research needed to find out what else can be helped by massage therapy.

The type of treatment offered by skilled masseur combines healing techniques which will work with the natural healing powers of your body to bring about wholeness to your mind, body and spirit.

Of course, it is recommended that anyone with any severe condition or chronic pain should consult with a licensed medical professional before embarking on a massage. Also any well trained massage therapist will be able to tell you if it is wise for you to have a massage or not. - 16928

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