Therapeutic Massage

Therapeutic Massage.. Healing Profoundly with Touch

Do you remember how good it felt when you were a child and your Mom
rubbed your back or your head to sooth the pain or chase some
worrisome thought away or sometimes just because she loved you?  We
have grown up knowing the value of the human touch, especially when it’
s delivered with genuine respect and caring.

Massage is considered to be among the oldest of all treatments used by
man. The health benefits of touch therapies have been recorded for
thousands of years,  showing the effects on the health of the person being
massaged to be profound -- physically, psychologically, emotionally, even
spiritually.

Massage provides relief to people from all walks of life – the weekend or
competitive athlete, the home gardener, and the overstressed executive
struggling to keep pace in today’s economy. Secretaries, laborers,
waitresses, housewives, mothers – anyone can feel a need for massage at
some point in time. The older population, including the bedridden, can also
be helped, as it enhances flexibility and circulation.

Care of your body should be at the top of your priority list. You will feel
and look better if you take the necessary steps regarding health and
nutrition. Stress relief alone can improve your vitality and state of mind.
Massage, bodywork, and somatic therapies could play an important role in
your life.

What Are the Benefits of Massage?

Useful for all of the conditions listed below and more, massage can:
•        Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion
•        Assist with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers and shorten
maternity hospital stays
•        Ease medication dependence
•        Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow – the body’s natural
defense system
•        Exercise and stretch weak, tight, or atrophied muscles
•        Help athletes of any level prepare for, and recover from, strenuous
workouts
•        Improve the condition of the body’s largest organ – the skin
•        Increase joint flexibility
•        Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks
•        Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving
circulation
•        Reduce post-surgery adhesions and swelling
•        Reduce spasms and cramping
•        Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles
•        Release endorphins – amino acids that work as the body’s natural
painkiller
•        Relieve migraine pain
•        Relieve TMJ pain

And those are just some of the physical benefits!

A Powerful Ally

There’s no denying the power of bodywork. Regardless of the adjectives
we assign to it (pampering, rejuvenating, therapeutic) or the reasons we
seek it out (a luxurious treat, stress relief, pain management, health
maintenance), massage therapy can be a powerful ally in your healthcare
regimen.

The incredible benefits of massage are doubly powerful if taken in regular
“doses.” Professionals at the Touch Research Institute at the University of
Miami explain the more massage you get, the greater the benefits you
reap. Here’s why: Experts estimate that upwards of ninety percent of
disease is stress related. And perhaps nothing ages us faster, internally and
externally, than high stress. While eliminating anxiety and pressure
altogether in this fast-paced world may be idealistic, massage can, without
a doubt, help manage stress. This translates into:
  • Decreased anxiety
  • Enhanced sleep quality
  • Greater energy
  • Improved concentration
  • Increased circulation
  • Reduced fatigue
Furthermore, clients often report a sense of perspective and clarity after
receiving massage. The emotional balance bodywork provides can often
be just as vital and valuable as the more tangible physical effects.

Profound Effects

In response to massage, specific physiological and chemical changes
cascade throughout the body, with profound effects. Research shows that
with massage:

  • Arthritis sufferers note fewer aches and less stiffness and pain.
  • Asthmatic children show better pulmonary function and increased
    peak air flow.
  • Burn injury patients report reduced pain, itching and anxiety.
  • High blood pressure patients demonstrate lower diastolic blood
    pressure, anxiety, and stress hormone.
  • Premenstrual syndrome sufferers have decreased water retention
    and cramping.
  • Pre-term infants have improved weight gain.

Research continues to show the enormous benefits of touch -- which
range from treating chronic diseases, neurological disorders, and injuries,
to alleviating the tensions of modern lifestyles. Consequently, the medical
community is actively embracing bodywork, and massage is becoming an
integral part of hospice care and neonatal intensive care units. Many
hospitals are also incorporating on-site massage practitioners and even
spas to treat postsurgery or pain patients as part of the recovery process.

The information cited above comes from two articles, The Benefits of
Frequent Massage & Bodywork and Why Should I Receive A Massage?,  
compliments of Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals
(abmp).
There are a variety of bodywork techniques that therapists may use
according to the needs and desires of their clients.

Know Thyself Healing Center currently offers the following:
  • Swedish Massage -- The most common form of massage. Swedish
    mainly relaxes the muscles and eases aches and pains in a full body
    massage.
  • Deep Tissue -- The manipulation of deeper connective tissue levels,
    myofascial stretching, Trigger Point Therapy, for muscular
    conditions that require more attention.
  • Integrative Massage -- The integration of Swedish and Deep Tissue
    techniques, sometimes with the use of hot stones, according to the
    needs/goals of the client and current muscular conditions.
  • Hot Stones Massage -- The use of hot, smooth river stones to
    massage deeper, with heat, into the muscle tissue.
  • Pregnancy Massage -- Prenatal massage helps relieve the muscle
    aches and pains and general discomforts associated with pregnancy.
    Positions and pillows used for comfort during massage.
Why Massage During Pregnancy?

Massage during pregnancy not only makes a
woman feel pampered, but offers undeniable
physical benefits as well. Massage can relieve
fatigue, enhance sleep, and calm an active
baby in utero.

First Trimester
•        Relieve headaches
•        Help alleviate morning sickness
•        Reduce fatigue
Second Trimester
•        Alleviate backaches
•        Relieve leg cramps
Third Trimester
•        Reduce swelling/edema
•        Relieve pain from varicosities
•        Enhance sleep
•        Prepare pelvic muscles for birth
process

During the entire term of the pregnancy,
massage can stimulate blood flow, which
may assist in the prevention of anemia. An
increase in muscle tone and flexibility will
occur, alleviating leg cramps and muscle
spasms.

Massage during pregnancy is also a great
way to relieve everyday tension and the
general aches and pains your body is
suffering. It stimulates your lymphatic
system, increasing immunity and the removal
of excess toxins, while also stabilizing
hormonal levels and balancing the glandular
system.

Are There Times When Massage
During Pregnancy Should Be Avoided?

Women with normal, low-risk pregnancies
can benefit greatly from massage by a trained
pregnancy massage therapist. However,
women in high-risk pregnancies should
consult with their doctor or midwife before
beginning a massage therapy program. If at
any time during the massage you experience
discomfort, tell the therapist immediately.

What About Massage After Delivery
Of My Baby?

Massage during the weeks after delivery
helps to restore muscle tone in the abdomen
and reposition the pelvis.

And remember, touch is a very important
part of bonding with your baby. Ask about
receiving instruction in managing your baby’
s massage.

Doctor’s Approval
It is very important you obtain approval from
your obstetrician before receiving any form
of massage during pregnancy.

Information from Maternity Massage
article, compliments of Associated
Bodywork & Massage Professionals
(abmp)