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The information in Holistic at Heart is not a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional before starting any new treatment or making any changes to existing treatment. Do not delay seeking or disregard medical advice based on information in this blog.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Massage Therapy

Massage therapy is getting to be so common in our society that most people forget that it is really a complementary/alternative therapy. Though I find that I am not able to experience massage therapy as often as I would like, it is something that I do not want to live without!

According to the US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine:
The term "massage therapy" encompasses many different techniques (see box for examples). In general, therapists press, rub, and otherwise manipulate the muscles and other soft tissues of the body. They most often use their hands and fingers, but may use their forearms, elbows, or feet.[1]

There are so many benefits to massage therapy, the best in my mind being the general relaxation. Massage therapy has also been shown to reduce anxiety, blood pressure and heart rate.[1] Over multiple sessions massage therapy can reduce the tendency to be anxious, and reduce depression and pain.[1] There is also some evidence that supports the use of massage therapy to help with a wide variety of diseases including fibromyalgia and sleep disorders.

And there isn't just one type of massage therapy. Some of the most commonly known types are relaxation massage and deep tissue massage, but there are many other kinds including Swedish massage, hot stone massage, Thai massage and Shiatsu. Each type of massage therapy has a different background, involves different techniques and provides different benefits. Even among massage therapists of a particular type there are wide variations in style and strength so you may need to explore your options.

There are certain conditions that are not compatible with massage therapy. A well-trained massage therapist will know whether your situation warrants massage but you will not likely be able to experience massage if you have a fever, blood clots, kidney or liver conditions, serious inflammation, or uncontrolled hypertension. If you are pregnant, it would be wise to visit a massage therapist trained in prenatal massage as there are special precautions to be taken in that case.

When my back is tense, there's nothing I want more than a good deep tissue massage. Have you tried massage therapy?

[1] NCCAM. Massage Therapy: An Introduction, accessed February 6, 2011 from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/massage/massageintroduction.htm
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2 comments:

  1. Jessica MerrelFebruary 11, 2011 at 12:30 PM

    The topic is just an exceptional one and I love this discussion. Thank you very much to highlight such a strong issue. This is really very motivating. I did not have any idea in this regard but your blog has opened up a wide array of information. Thank you very much and expect to have a few more in future.

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  2. jonnaaMarch 21, 2011 at 6:16 AM

    Nice Post of Massage Therapy. I will sure try it and according to requirement of my body. Thank you for sharing such a useful information.

    ReplyDelete

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