Thursday, February 5, 2009

Some Benefits Of Massage

By Ann Chester

Should you pay for a massage, or are you just wasting your money. Some people may say why pay just to have your back rubbed. But if your masseur is well trained, then there are hugh benefits to be had by having a massage. Unless you have a sports injury it doesn't matter what type of massage you have as the benefits are very similar with all of them.

If there are any benefits, is it worth paying to have a massage or not? Massage has had a place in the healing tradition of the far East for thousands of years. But in the West massage was only introduced into Europe a couple of hundred years ago, and even later into the USA.

In traditional healing, medicines would have been given, as well as advise on diet and exercise, and often massage with oils was also reccommended. Sometimes massage was given as a stand alone therapy and a variety of oils would have been prescribed.

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.

Massage is great for relaxing you, but it does far more than that, the benefits can be felt throughout the whole body. Each different type of massage will bring its own unique benefits, and all of the different types will give some benefits that are common to all of them.

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.

You live in a very stressful world, your pace of life is most likely far too hectic, do you rush around all day long busy doing something every minute of the day. If that sounds like you then you may be heading for health problems in the future, may be you are already feeling exhausted both mentally and physically.

Unless you live in some remote mountain top, you live with air pollution, chemicals in your food and water, and so much stress you may wonder how you will cope. The result of all of this is toxins in your body and tense tight muscles. One way to combat all of this pressure on your body is to have a regular massage. The first thing you will notice is the you feel more relaxed and more able to cope with the everyday hassles of life. More subtle is the removal of excess toxins which will benefit your health now and in the future.

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.

Relax stiffened and tense muscles while stimulating weak and inactive muscles to compensate for lack of movement due to an illness or an injury.

Increases endorphins.

Anxiety and tension is reduced.

There is still a lot of research needed to find out what else can be helped by massage therapy and over the years this list will grow even bigger.

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. - 16890

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