Alternative Therapy
Massage therapy is a broad term that encompasses a wide variety of procedures and methods of pressing, rubbing and manipulating muscles and other soft body tissues such as tendons, ligaments, skin and connective tissues. The main objective of massage therapy is to relax the soft tissues while promoting an increased delivery of blood and oxygen to the areas being massages and, therefore, to decrease tightness and pain. Massage therapy is most often accomplished by utilizing the massage therapist's fingers, hands, arms, elbows and/or feet. Occasionally, however, mechanical and electronic devices may be also used.
As a matter of fact, there are more than eighty official types of massage therapy treatments but some of the most widely known are the following:
* The Deep Tissue Massage. This technique uses a combination of strokes and deep finger pressure applied way down under the skin and into the muscles at the painful sites in order to breakup knots and loosen tightness.
* The Trigger Point Massage. This procedure is also known as the Pressure Point Massage and it is more focused on specific myofascial trigger points with a stronger force than the Deep Tissue Massage. The goal here is to dissolve the painful knots that were formed in the muscles as well as to relieve additional symptoms in more remote areas of the body.
* The Swedish Massage. This system utilizes oblong smooth strokes, kneading and friction of the muscles as well as movement of the joints to increase their range of motion and flexibility.
* The Shiatsu Massage. Using altering rhythmic pressure, tapping, squeezing and rubbing along the meridian and on various other parts of the body, the main objective of this Eastern massage therapy is to enhance the flow of a fundamentally important energy called gi. And this energy, in the ancient Chinese medicine is believed to be the life force that regulates a person's spiritual, emotional, mental and physical wellness that is easily affected when subjected to the rival forces of yin and yang.
Whether the four most often practiced massage therapies I mentioned above are used as complimentary alternative medicine (also known as CAM) or any one of the other recognized eighty which are available to a lesser or greater extent, there are important points to be considered:
* No massage therapy should ever be used in place of regular or ongoing medical care.
* Massage therapy should not be the cause or the excuse to postpone visiting a medical professional for existing medical issues.
* The massage therapist's schooling and credentials must be verified as well as his or her experience with specific health and medical conditions. * Any additional complimentary alternative medicine (CAM) such as herbs, supplements, special diets or other treatments which are suggested by the massage therapist must first be reviewed with a medical professional.
* Although the subject of massage therapy (how it works and why) has been studied for many years and continues to be studies, much of it still remains within the realm of a mystery.
* If and when massage therapy is performed by a well training and experienced professional, few risks are involved and the worst of them may be temporary pain or discomfort, bruising, swelling or an allergic reaction to the massage oils. The small number of serious injuries which have been reported were triggered by untrained hands that were not aware that certain medical conditions should not be massaged. It is, therefore, essential to consult a medical professional before undergoing massage therapy, particularly under the following circumstances:
* Deep vein thrombosis * A bleeding disorder or when taking blood thinners * Damaged blood vessels * Weakened bones from osteoporosis, a recent fracture or cancer * The presence of high body temperature * Open or healing wounds, tumors, damaged nerves, an infection, a severe inflammation or fragile skin * Pregnancy * Heart problems * Dermatomyositis or any other skin disease * History of physical abuse
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Alternative Therapy Massage therapy is a broad term that encompasses a wide variety of procedures and methods of pressing, rubbing ... read more
Balinese massage Having originated on the exotic island of Bali, the Balinese massage therapy is one of a number of ... read more
Chiropractic Therapy If you are anything like me, you probably prefer staying away from providers of conventional Western medicine as ... read more
Cosmetic Massage The oldest known Facial massage in human history dates back to the third century B.C. where it was ... read more
Deep Tissue The deep tissue massage is a kind of massage therapy which centers its attention primarily on the ailing, ... read more
Eastern Massage There are very many massage techniques in existence today some of them stemming from the far Eastern World ... read more
Foot massage Some 2,500 ago and during Lord Buddha's time in ancient India, a physician named Jivaka Komarabhacca developed a ... read more
Happy Me This is for all of you out there who are like most of us too busy and too ... read more
Head Massage Its origins stem from an Indian remedial and grooming practice which had been and continues to be part ... read more
Hot Stones The Hot Stone massage is a therapeutic massage technique in which a heated stone is held by the ... read more
Invisible Energy Reflexology Massage, which is also known as the zone therapy, is an alternative medicine technique in which massaging, ... read more
Japanese Shiatsu Literally translated from Japanese, "Shiatsu" means "finger pressure" and it was incorporated into the Japanese culture approximately 1,500 ... read more
Korean Massage The Korean Martial Therapy, also well known by its acronym KMT, had been recognized for its effectiveness in ... read more
Medical Massage Massage Therapy is just one persuasion from a wide array of other very effective and closely related persuasions ... read more
Office Massage Massages in chairs or simply in sitting positions have always had their place among most ancient and traditional ... read more
Orthopedic Massage Occasionally referred to as an orthopedic massage, Clinical massage is an entire array of manipulation techniques designed to ... read more
Pediatric Massage Countless studies and pediatric research have shown that massage therapy is supremely beneficial for a wide variety of ... read more
Personal Massage Are you aware of having a personal massage therapist, actually two of them, available to you and ready ... read more
Pre Birth Massage Who better deserves and needs a good massage therapy than a mother to be? I cannot think ... read more
Safe Massage By and large, massage therapy that is performed by a properly schooled and well experienced massage therapist who ... read more
Senior Therapy With the baby boomers aging and with the help of higher technology and greater innovations in medicine and ... read more
Sports Massage Describing it in a nutshell, the Sports Massage is a specialty massage technique that was created and developed ... read more
Swedish Massage The Swedish Massage, which was conceived by Henri Peter Ling, a Swedish physiologist at the University of Stockholm, ... read more
Therapeutic Hand Massage From the moment we wake up until the moment we fall asleep, we all work with our ... read more
Therapeutic Massage In an attempt to understand how and why massage therapy is as effective as it seems to be, ... read more
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