Discover the Healing Power of Massage
Massage is often treated as an afterthought. If you have a sprain or a bruise, you may massage it gently to help ease the pain. Half the time it hurts but you still persevere because for some reason, there’s pleasure in the pain. What’s really happening here is that you’re improving blood circulation in the area and this helps to ease the ‘tightness’ and discomfort that you may be feeling. Let’s discover the healing power of massage.
Whenever you exercise hard, you may experience a situation known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) where your muscles ache. Professional athletes often use sports massage to treat it. While massage may not cure the problem, it does aid with the healing process.
In alternative medicine uses massage with essential oils to soothe the body. In chiropractic treatments, massage and manipulation is used to align your joints and improve physical functioning.
Studies have shown that massage helps to de-stress the body and reduce anxiety. Just by reducing your stress levels, you’ll be strengthening your immune system and making it that much harder for disease to take root in your body. You can read about 4 Stress Management Tips for Women here.
People suffering from arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraines, sports-related injuries/soreness and even cancer patients will find that regular massage sessions will help to ease their pain and bring relief. This is one of the best forms of alternative medicine when it comes to pain relief.
The Chinese method of massage has been in existence for hundreds of years. It is highly effective at treating joint problems such as dislocations, injuries such as bruises, muscle pain and chronic pain. Unlike most types of massage which are gentle and soothing and can be quite forceful and actually hurt.
Usually, the masseuse will use certain oils or lotions to assist with the massage which mostly comprises of kneading, pressing, grasping, to really applying pressure to work the deeper tissues in your body. It may get uncomfortable and painful, but there will be relief after the massage.
Most importantly, do not use massage with out consulting your doctor first. Not everything is helped by massage. It’s best to speak to your doctor before trying massage as an alternative treatment.
If you’re wondering what problems massage can be used to treat, here are a few: migraines, joint pain, muscle soreness, back pain, neck aches, anxiety, sports related injuries, fibromyalgia, temporomandibular joint pain, digestive problems, menstrual cramps, myofascial pain syndrome, insomnia and many others.
As long as you find a qualified practitioner, there are often no side effects from massage. When choosing a masseuse, you must ensure that they have the necessary qualifications. They should know what they’re doing and when you speak to them about your condition, a good massage therapist will know exactly what to do to treat it.
You may be asked to remove most of your clothes depending on which part of your body is going to be massaged. Oils and lotions may be applied on the body to reduce friction during massage. So, if you have allergies to certain oils, you’ll need to inform the therapist.
Generally, unless it’s Chinese massage, most other massages should not be painful. If the discomfort is just for brief pauses during the massage, that should be fine. However, if it’s just one continuously painful session, there’s something wrong and you should inform your therapist to use lighter pressure.
Massage is a great way to feel good and heal your body in a holistic manner. While it’s not an overnight cure, the temporary relief is fantastic, and it also aids in the healing process. Like they say, “You are one massage away from a good mood.”
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This website is written by a regular human. I am not a Health Professional. Please get professional medical advice for your specific health needs.