Massage has been used to heal for thousands of years in many cultures. Touching is a natural human reaction to pain and stress, and for conveying compassion and support. This was true for our earliest ancestors as well.
Healers throughout time and throughout the world have instinctually and independently developed a wide range of therapeutic techniques using touch. We now have scientific proof of the benefits of massage -- benefits ranging from treating chronic diseases and injuries to alleviating the growing tensions of our modern lifestyles. Having a massage does more than just relax your body and mind -- there are specific physiological and psychological changes that occur, and even more so when massage is utilized as a preventative, frequent therapy and not simply as a mere luxury. Massage not only feels good. It can cure you.
Experts estimate that 80 percent to 90 percent of disease is stress-related. Massage and bodywork can combat that number by helping us remember what it means to relax. The physical changes massage creates in your body can have a positive effect in many areas of your life. Besides increasing relaxation and decreasing anxiety, massage lowers blood pressure, increases circulation, improves injury recovery, encourages deep sleep, and increases concentration. It reduces fatigue and gives you more energy to handle stressful situations.
Massage can also provide an integration of body and mind. By producing a meditative state of heightened awareness of the present moment, massage can provide emotional and spiritual balance, bringing with it true relaxation and peace.
The incredible benefits of massage are doubly powerful when received regularly. Researchers from the Touch Research Institute (TRI) at the University of Miami, found that recipients of massage can benefit even in small time increments (15 minutes of chair massage or a half-hour table session). They also note that receiving bodywork two to three times a week is even more beneficial.
In a time of technical and, sometimes, impersonal medicine, massage offers a drug-free, non-invasive, and humanistic approach based on the body's natural ability to heal itself. Following is a brief list of the many known, research-based benefits of massage and bodywork:
- Increases circulation, allowing the body to pump more oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs;
- Stimulates the flow of lymph, the body's natural defense system, against toxic invaders. Furthermore, increased circulation of blood and lymph systems improves the condition of the body's largest organ -- the skin;
- Relaxes and softens injured and overused muscles;
- Reduces spasms and cramping;
- Increases joint flexibility;
- Reduces recovery time and helps prepare the body for strenuous workouts, reducing subsequent muscle pain of athletes at any level;
- Releases endorphins -- the body's natural painkiller -- and is proving very beneficial in patients with chronic illness, injury, and post-op pain;
- Reduces post-surgery adhesions and edema and can be used to reduce and realign scar tissue after healing has occurred;
- Improves range-of-motion and decreases discomfort for patients with low back pain;
- Relieves pain for migraine sufferers and decreases the need for medication;
- Provides exercise and stretching for atrophied muscles and reduces shortening of the muscles for those with restricted range of motion;
- Assists with shorter labor for expectant mothers, as well as reduces the need for medication, eases postpartum depression and anxiety, and contributes to a shorter hospital stay.
• Karen Ross, LMBT #07596 • 138 Mine Lake Court • Raleigh, NC 27615 • 919-818-6068 • kmr71@bellsouth.net •
