Treating
the Body
Massage therapy addresses a variety of health conditions, the most
prevalent being stress-related tension, which experts believe accounts
for 80%-90% of disease. Massage has been proven beneficial in treating
cancer-related fatigue, sleep disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes,
low back pain, immunity suppression, spinal cord injury, autism,
post-operative surgery, age-related disorders, infertility, eating
disorders, smoking cessation, and depression, to name just a few.
Here’s why:
Bodywork offers a drug-free, non-invasive and humanistic approach based
on the body’s natural ability to heal itself.
Massage has many physiological effects, such as:
- Increasing circulation, allowing the body to
pump more oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs.
- Stimulating the lymph system, the
body’s natural defense, against toxic invaders. For example,
in breast cancer patients, massage has been shown to increase the cells
that fight cancer.
- Relaxing and softening injured and overused
muscles.
- Reducing spasms and cramping. Increasing joint
flexibility.
- Reducing recovery time for strenuous workouts
and eliminating subsequent pains of the athlete at any level.
- Releasing endorphins, the body’s
natural painkiller. For this reason, massage is being incorporated into
treatment for chronic illness, injury and recovery from surgery to
control and relieve pain.
- Reducing post-surgery adhesions and edema and
reducing and realigning scar tissue after healing has occurred.
- Improving range of motion and decreasing
discomfort for patients with low back pain.
- Relieving pain for migraine sufferers and
decreasing the need for medication.
- Providing exercise and stretching for atrophied
muscles and reducing shortening of the muscles for those with
restricted range of motion.
- Contributing to shorter labor and reduced
tearing for expectant mothers, as well as lessening the need for
medication, minimizing depression and anxiety, and shortening hospital
stays.
It’s important to note that there are some conditions where
massage is not recommended. For example, massage is contraindicated in
people with:
- Certain forms of cancer
- Phlebitis
- Some cardiac problems
- Some skin conditions
- Infectious diseases
In some cases, the practitioner may need your doctor’s
permission before providing services.
Treating
the Spirit
Massage also provides another therapeutic
component largely absent in today’s world: tactile
stimulation, or, more simply, touch. In 1986, the Touch Research
Institute at the University of Miami published groundbreaking research
on the effects of massage on premature babies. The preterm babies who
received massage therapy showed 47% greater weight gain and six-day
shorter hospital stays than the infants who were not receiving
massage. But is this study evidence of what loving touch can
do spiritually, or rather what massage can do on a physiological level?
Regardless, babies are not the only benefactors.
Many adults have reported cathartic experiences on the massage table.
As a therapist carefully unwinds a client’s stressed and
tired muscles, the therapist may very well be unwinding the taut,
pent-up emotions that one doesn’t always have time to process
in the middle of the day. And the feeling of being touched in a safe,
caring, compassionate manner can be a very powerful experience,
reminding the client that she or he is not alone in the world.
As studies continue to reveal the link between kinesiology and physical
and emotional health, the effects of massage will be further
documented. However, one need only experience a good massage to know
it's beneficial to body and soul.
(Source:
ABMP)
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