The Benefits of Massage

 

The most obvious benefit shared by virtually everyone is that a full body massage makes you feel great! The stress-relieving, soothing results are enough for many to include massage as a regular part of their lives. Many of my clients who get regular massages tell me they are never sick!

How does this happen? I will give you a very short explanation of how massage can help so your body can ward off illnesses.

Proper circulation is vital to continued health. Your blood and lymph carry nourishment to the trillions of cells throughout your body and then carry away the waste to be eliminated from the cells. Massage encourages a better exchange of nutrients at the cellular level for a more thorough detoxification.

Remember, the future “you” is determined by how well your army of cells regenerate themselves, so this is indeed a critical part of remaining healthy.

The nervous system is your communication network, sending messages constantly that determine proper functioning throughout your body. Stress can affect the ability of the nervous system to do its job. The many nerve endings found in the skin and muscles are soothed by massage, and this contributes to keeping your internal lines of communication open and operational.

Massage also aids in maintaining flexibility in your joints, such as the knee, hip, spine, shoulder and neck. These joints are thoroughfares for nerves, veins and arteries, so their freedom of movement allows energy and blood to flow unimpeded.

So, you can see massage does quite a bit more that just relax you and work out the kinks in a sore back. Isn’t it good to know that something that feels so great can contribute to your long-term health as well? Let’s work together to help you stay healthy this year.

Call for your appointment soon!

 

(Article from Better homes and gardens magazine November 2011 page 184)

 

Backing off pain - Been taking pills for a chronically achy back? Here's the rub: Massage might be more effective, According to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers assigned lower-back-pain sufferers to one of three therapies: a standard regimen of medication and excercises; Structural massage ( an approach that uses deep-tissue techniques). Or relaxation massage ( which uses gentler swedish techniques). After 10 weeks, 37 percent of people in both massage groups said their back pain had lessesed or disappeared. On the other hand only 4 percent of patients who received standard care reported any improvement--and they spent more time in bed and were less physically active.  One hour of massage per week was enough to deliver results.