Massage Benefits
History has it that massage therapy is among the simplest and oldest forms of health and medical care. Primarily, massage is performed to ease anxiety and body pain, relieve discomfort and of course, promote good health. Massage sessions usually last about 15 to 90 minutes, but the benefits and advantages are long-term. No one can really underestimate what massage can do to the body.
Therapeutic massage provides relaxation and helps bring about relief especially to strained muscles and to body fatigue. Benefits are categorized into physical, physiological and emotional improvements to the body.
Physical Benefits
As mentioned, massage therapies help reduce if not eliminate tension out of sore and stiff muscles. During a massage session, the muscles are relaxed, sores are lessened and tension is halted, allowing the muscles to move freely and more comfortably.
Imagine yourself lifting heavy loads and boxes all day. By the end of the day, you will surely feel throbbing of your temples, pain in shoulders and swelling of muscles. These manifestations are just normal and should be taken as a means on how the body tells you to slow down and take some rest. Massage will help improve circulation of blood, relax muscles and soft tissues, release tension and overcome bodily aches, especially pain in the lower back.
Emotional Benefits
Massage therapies involve application of kneading and stroking motions to muscles. These actions when combined with a little heat and aromatherapy can induce relaxation. Therefore, tension is significantly and effectively released. When tension and stress are released, so are any other pains and aches in the entire body. Thus, it is just logical that massage helps calm aggressive behaviors of people.
Depression is also cut down and mind health is promoted. If there are age-related disorders, massage therapy can also help alleviate those. By inducing sounder sleep and treating emotional and physical setbacks, massage is being a potent emotional and physical therapy.
Physiological Benefits
University of Miami's Touch Research Institute has conducted a study that found that regular massage by parents helps improve the immune system of children. Thus, such kids are not likely to easily catch colds, cough or other usual ailments. Physiologically, massage has been found to help increase neutrophils and blood cell counts.
Gentle strokes and kneads from massage stimulates the nerve endings found in the skin. When that happens, endorphins are released. Endorphins are the 'feel good' chemicals that are naturally produced and secreted by the human body. This release is attributed to the emergence of relaxation and a feeling or sense of well-being.
Most of all, therapeutic massage is used as a potent treatment for various sicknesses and as a booster of recovery right after a major ailment or after a surgical operation.
