There is a big trend towards natural healing therapies. The growth of the massage therapy industry has doubled in the last five years. Many people recognize that they need to establish balance in their health programs. The importance of diet and exercise is heard all too often. However, recovery and recuperation as a result of diet and exercise is the missing ingredient. Massage therapy fills this void by manipulating the muscles and joints to relieve stress and tension in your body.
The literal meaning of massage is friction of kneading. Kneading is one of the more famous movements. It is performed by making a side to side squeezing action. This is similar to the kneading action for making bread dough.
It is interesting to find that massage therapy can be traced back to most of the oldest known civilizations. Whether it is ancient China, the Romans or the Egyptians, each developed specific techniques to help the body recover and maintain its vitality.
Clearly, massage therapy has been used throughout the world to help restore health to the body. Many of these civilizations develop very distinct types of massage techniques. Each technique brings about slightly different benefits.
Perhaps you have had a massage. If so then you might have had a shiatsu, Swedish or deep tissue massage. Then you understand the variety of treatment options available to relieve stress and tension. It is pretty amazing of the variety of distinct types of techniques available to everyone.
The theory of massage therapy is to use movements and pressure to relieve tension, stiffness and discomfort in the body. Different parts of the body require different types of techniques or movements. Also, different techniques integrated complementary treatments to provide additional benefits.
A new study was published in September 2004 that used a need for analysis of peer reviewed scientific journals using massage therapy and the adult population. The conclusion of the study is that massage therapy provides a wide range of physical and psychological benefits.
A recent study that we reviewed showed that 60% of those receiving massage therapy reported lower levels of pain than the control group. Many of the physical monitoring statistics showed lower blood pressure and decreases in the average heart rate. Many also reported feeling less anxious and less overall stress.
One study that we reviewed showed that the participants receiving massage therapy reported less pain than that not receiving massage therapy. They also had a lower average heart rate and blood pressure than those not receiving these treatments. It should also be noted that the massage therapy must be given on a periodic basis similar to exercise.
The intuitive benefits of massage therapy are obvious and confirmed by the rising popularity of these treatments. The fact that these treatments have been used for thousands of years provides a body of knowledge. Many people are looking for a natural way to maintain their health. There are a tremendous variety of natural treatment options to choose from.
One of the biggest hurdles for the studying of massage therapy is simply economic. Clinical studies are funded by companies hoping to profit from the positive results. There is not a way for a company to control massage techniques. This then leaves a void for funding these types of studies. However, these techniques have been used and refined since the beginning of time. They just don’t have the same documentation as a large pharmaceutical company.