THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF MASSAGE THERAPY |
THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF MASSAGE THERAPY
In an attempt to understand how and why massage therapy is as effective as it seems to be, scientists and medical researchers from around the world have been studying it for decades. Some characteristics of massage therapy have been conclusively resolved with apparent consensus among the learned scholars, while other characteristics remain as inexplicably mysterious as ever. For instance, they all agree that when a certain amount of pressure is applied to a soft tissue such as a muscle, some changes occur within the affected muscles. They also all tend to agree that massage therapy promotes relaxation and reduces the stress which often leads to deterioration or worsening of certain physiological conditions.
Those characteristics of massage therapy which have not yet been explained by conventional science, gave rise to a number of theories and postulates. You will note that they are all prefaced with the word "might" to indicate uncertainty as they described possible health benefits of massage therapy:
* Might provide stimulation that may help block pain signals transmitted to the brain and this is called the "gate control theory" of decreasing or alleviating pain.
* Might promote better health by stimulating the lymphatic system to increase the flow of lymph, which is the secretion that carries disease fighting cells through the body.
* Might re-route the client's nervous system away from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic. In doing so, the fight-or-flight reaction of the sympathetic nervous system with its increased heart and breathing rates along with tightened muscles of distress are shunned in favor of the rest-and-digest reaction of the parasympathetic nervous system with its lowered heart rate, slowed breathing and relaxed muscles.
* Might be instrumental in effecting beneficial changes in the body by preventing fibrosis through the process of breaking up scar-like tissue
* Might arouse the body to discharge chemicals such as serotonin or endorphins which area known to give people the feelings of wellbeing.
* Might improve sleep patterns which is essential to pain control and healing processes.
* Might contribute to the overall mental and physiological health by the intimate interaction between the client and the therapist.
The following are specific cases and their reported benefits whether they are understood or merely observed with bewilderment:
* Students at a New Jersey Medical School who were given massage therapy before an exam displayed less anxiety, lower respiratory rates, a substantial increase in white blood cells and an enhanced immune system.
* Cancer patients at the James Cancer Hospital and Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio experienced less pain and decreased anxiety after receiving massage therapies than those who did not get such treatments.
* Studies at the University of South Carolina show that women who recently lost a child were less depressed after massage therapy.
* The National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that massage therapy improved weight gain in infants who were premature or those who were exposed to HIV. They also determined that massage therapy expedites recovery in patients who had abdominal surgery.
* Researchers at the University of the Miami School of Medicine's Touch Research Institute discovered that massage therapy decreases high blood pressure, relieves migraine headaches, and generally increases alertness and performance in the workforce.
* Many additional studies confirm that massage therapy reduces heart rates, lowers blood pressure; increases blood circulation and lymph flow; relaxes stiffened and tense muscles while stimulating weak and inactive muscles to compensate for lack of movement due to an illness or an injury; speeds up the healing process after surgeries, disease and injuries; improves the range of vision; increases endorphins; reduces anxiety, tension, depression, pain and itching in burn patients; and Autistic children exhibit calmer and more predictable behavior.
So, is massage therapy beneficial? Yes! Massage therapy is beneficial on, oh, so many levels. The mechanics of the process may not be clear just yet, but the outcomes are undeniable by anyone's standards.
PPPPP
(Word Count 654)
|
DYSFUNCTIONS RESPONDING TO CLINICAL MASSAGE Occasionally referred to as an orthopedic massage, Clinical massage is an entire array of manipulation ... read more
FACIAL MASSAGE The oldest known Facial massage in human history dates back to the third century B.C. where it was ... read more
MASSASGE THERAPY VS. CHIROPRACTICTIC THERAPY If you are anything like me, you probably prefer staying away from providers of conventional ... read more
MASSAGE THERAPY AS COMPLIMENTARY ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE Massage therapy is a broad term that encompasses a wide variety of procedures and ... read more
MASSAGE THERAPY FOR SENIOR CITIZENS With the baby boomers aging and with the help of higher technology and greater innovations ... read more
MASSAGE FOR YOUNG CHILREN Countless studies and pediatric research have shown that massage therapy is supremely beneficial for a wide ... read more
MASSSAGE THERAPY Massage Therapy is just one persuasion from a wide array of other very effective and closely related persuasions ... read more
PREGNANCY MASSAGE Who better deserves and needs a good massage therapy than a mother to be? I cannot think of ... read more
REFLEXOLOGY MASSAGE Reflexology Massage, which is also known as the zone therapy, is an alternative medicine technique in which massaging, ... read more
RISKS OF MASSAGE THERAPY By and large, massage therapy that is performed by a properly schooled and well experienced massage ... read more
SELF MASSAGE DEVICES This is for all of you out there who are like most of us too busy and ... read more
SELF MASSAGE Are you aware of having a personal massage therapist, actually two of them, available to you and ready ... read more
THE BALINESE MASSAGE THERAPY Having originated on the exotic island of Bali, the Balinese massage therapy is one of a ... read more
THE CHAIR MASSAGE Massages in chairs or simply in sitting positions have always had their place among most ancient and ... read more
THE DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE The deep tissue massage is a kind of massage therapy which centers its attention primarily on ... read more
THE FOOT MASSAGE Some 2,500 ago and during Lord Buddha's time in ancient India, a physician named Jivaka Komarabhacca developed ... read more
THE HAND AND ARM MASSAGE From the moment we wake up until the moment we fall asleep, we all work ... read more
THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF MASSAGE THERAPY In an attempt to understand how and why massage therapy is as effective as ... read more
THE HOT STONE MASSAGE The Hot Stone massage is a therapeutic massage technique in which a heated stone is held ... read more
THE INDIAN HEAD MASSAGE Its origins stem from an Indian remedial and grooming practice which had been and continues to ... read more
THE KOREAN MARTIAL THERAPY The Korean Martial Therapy, also well known by its acronym KMT, had been recognized for its ... read more
THE SHIATSU MASSAGE Literally translated from Japanese, "Shiatsu" means "finger pressure" and it was incorporated into the Japanese culture approximately ... read more
THE SPORTS MASSAGE Describing it in a nutshell, the Sports Massage is a specialty massage technique that was created and ... read more
THE SWEDISH MASSAGE The Swedish Massage, which was conceived by Henri Peter Ling, a Swedish physiologist at the University of ... read more
THE ZEN MASSAGE There are very many massage techniques in existence today some of them stemming from the far Eastern ... read more
|
|
|
Disclaimer:
The Publisher has strived to be as accurate and complete as possible in
the creation of this website, notwithstanding the fact that he does not
warrant or represent at any time that the contents within are accurate
due to the rapidly changing nature of the Internet.
This site
is a common sense guide to THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF MASSAGE THERAPY. In practical advice websites,
like anything else in life, there are no guarantees of income made.
Readers are cautioned to reply on their own judgment about their
individual circumstances to act accordingly.
This site
is not intended for use as a source of legal, business, accounting or
financial advice. All readers are advised to seek services of competent
professionals in legal, business, accounting, and finance field.
Any
perceived slights of specific people or organizations are unintentional.
|