Making adequate
lifestyle changes can help build resistance
to stress and improve your overall health.
Most of the following tips have to do with
taking a little time to enjoy life and
nature. Getting yourself out of the office
or, at least, your mind out of the office
for a brief time can raise your quality of
life significantly.
So when is pampering
considered health care? Ask any private
practice massage therapist if they are in
the business of pampering and 97% of the
time you are going to get an evil stare, the
one eyebrow lift, and grinding teeth.
Massage therapists are not so much offending
by the word “pampering” as they are
frustrated by the often dismissal of their
care as beneficial. “But, it feels good!”,
the clients declare. It does and that is
certainly how your average massage addict
becomes a massage therapist. The feel good
factor is a strong reason to get regular
massage but, there are a lot of better
excuses to start seeing a massage therapist
regularly.
Massage increases
circulation, allowing the body to pump more
oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.1
The average massage can increase circulation
up to five times it normal flow. More
circulation is good for the body because it
keeps tissues vital and the increased oxygen
flow allows for quicker respiratory recovery
times for athletes, the elderly, and the
general public.
People in pain are
starting to choose massage therapy, as well
as, medication to help lessen pain. Mary
Beth Braun, former president of the American
Massage Therapy Association states in a
two-year old article
“Along with massage
therapy's continued popularity for
relaxation and stress relief, this year's
survey findings show higher numbers of
consumers turning to massage therapy for
pain relief than we've ever seen before. We
continue to see that physicians and pain
management experts find massage to be
effective in relieving pain. And,
consumers are continuing to see the health
benefits of including massage therapy in
their regular health regimen. Clinical
research shows that massage is an effective
therapy in reducing pain following a variety
of medical treatments, from open-heart
surgery, to cancer. It has also proven to
be more effective than other complementary
therapies in reducing chronic back
pain. This year's survey only reinforces the
confidence people have in massage.”2
In another AMTA
research article, the medical community
shows support for massage therapy for
chronic pain.
Physicians and other
health care providers are increasingly
recommending massage therapy to their
patients as a supplement to traditional
health care. According to one national
survey, 54 percent of primary care
physicians and family practitioners would
encourage their patient to pursue massage
therapy as a treatment. Consumers surveyed
over the past three years say that when they
discuss therapeutic massage with their
physicians, more than 70% respond favorably.
Also in the same AMTA
article, research has been conducted on the
effectiveness of massage as a pain-reducing
therapy.
According to a pilot
study conducted at Cedars-Sinai Medical
Center in Los Angeles, massage therapy
reduces pain and muscle spasms in patients
who have undergone heart bypass surgery when
patients are treated at the hospital after
their surgery. Because of its
effectiveness, 60 percent of the massage
group expressed a willingness to pay for
massage therapy out-of-pocket.3
Massage is becoming
more and more an accepted treatment for
chronic pain management.
Another benefit of
massage therapy is an improvement in mental
focus. By reducing pain, stress, and
distractions, the body achieves a sense of
groundedness. This allows the client to
focus on one or just a few things at a
time. Clients with better mental focus can
achieve more by eliminating thought patterns
that are distractions.
Therapeutic massage and
sports massage in general can utilize
assisted stretches that increase range of
motion in joints. By allowing the client to
relax on the table and focus only on how far
they think they can stretch, it helps the
client achieve more effectively and
increases the range over time. Range of
motion is also increased by deep work by
releasing knots, muscle tension, and
adhesions that may be limiting movement in
the body.
Massage has
psychological benefits as well. By lowering
stress on the body, massage therapy also
lessens the load on the mind. Sometimes a
massage therapist will be called in by a
psychologist to help a patient work through
mental issues with touch or trust issues.
It just makes sense that clients who get
regular massage feel better both physically
and mentally because they are taking care of
themselves and making an effort to find
happiness.
Massage can also be
used to help treat medical conditions.
Massage can be prescribed by a physician or
chiropractic doctor to aid treatment for
injuries such as, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid
arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, carpel tunnel
syndrome, pain, circulatory problems,
depression, digestive disorders, headaches,
insomnia, myofascial pain, reduced range of
motion, sinusitis, sports injuries,
temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ),
and whiplash.4
In conclusion, massage
may help a consumer increase circulation,
reduce pain, increase focus, increase range
of motion, psychologically heal, and help
treat medical conditions. However, massage
has many more benefits than just these.
Massage can benefit a client in a variety of
ways. By taking care of yourself, you will
experience a more relaxed outlook and feel
better too.
Sources Cited
1. “The Benefits of Massage: Is
Bodywork Right For Me?”. ABMP. March 14,
2007.
http://www.massagetherapy.com/learnmore/benefits.php.
2. “Massage Therapy Grows in
Popularity”. October 24, 2005. AMTA.
March 14, 2007.
http://www.amtamassage.org/news/102405consurvey.html.
3. “Research Confirms Massage Therapy
Enhances Health”. AMTA. March 14, 2007.
http://www.amtamassage.org/news/enhancehealth.html.
4. Enhancing Your Health with Massage
Therapy. Evanston, IL: AMTA, 2005.
