Massage Therapy
Massage Therapy as a healing tool has been around for thousands of years in many cultures. Touching is a natural human reaction to pain and stress, and for conveying compassion and support. Think of the last time you bumped your head or had a sore calf. What did you do? Rubbed it, right? The same was true of our earliest ancestors. Healers throughout time and throughout the world have instinctively and independently developed a wide range of therapeutic techniques using touch.
Many are still in use today, and with good reason. We now have scientific proof of the benefits of massage – benefits ranging from treating chronic diseases and injuries to alleviating the growing tensions of our modern lifestyles. Having a massage does more than just relax your body and mind – there are specific physiological and psychological changes which occur, even more so when massage is utilized as a preventative, frequent therapy and not simply mere luxury. Massage not only feels good, but it can aid in bringing balance back to your body.
The Consequences of Stress
Experts estimate that 80-90 percent of disease is stress related. Massage and bodywork is there to combat that frightening number by helping us remember what it means to relax. The physical changes massage brings to your body can have a positive effect in many areas of your life. Besides increasing relaxation and decreasing anxiety, massage can lower your blood pressure, may increase circulation, speed recovery time from an injury, help you to sleep better and can increase your concentration. It reduces fatigue and gives you more energy to handle stressful situations.
In an age of technical and, at times, impersonal medicine, massage offers a drug-free, non-invasive and humanistic approach based on the body’s natural ability to heal itself.
- Increases circulation, allowing the body to pump more oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs
- Stimulates the flow of lymph, the body’s natural defense system, against toxic invaders. For example, in breast cancer patients, massage has been shown to increase the cells that fight cancer
- Increased circulation of blood and lymph systems improves the condition of the body’s largest organ – the skin
- Relaxes and softens injured and overused muscles
- Reduces spasms and cramping
- Increases joint flexibility
- Reduces recovery time, helps prepare for strenuous workouts and eliminates subsequent pains of the athlete at any level
- Releases endorphins – the body’s natural painkiller
- Reduces post-surgery adhesion’s and edema can be used to reduce and realign scar tissue after healing has occurred
- Improves range of motion and decreases discomfort for patients with low back pain
- Provides exercise and stretching for atrophied muscles and reduces shortening of the muscles for those with restricted range of motion
- Assist with shorter labor for expectant mothers, as well as less need for medication, less depression and anxiety, and shorter hospital stays
As a society, we are touch deprived and this can lead to disease or emotional dysfunction. From the cradle to the nursing home, tactile stimulation and the emotional assurance of caring touch bring about the sense of well being and security.
Benefits of Massage
Massage is the perfect elixir for good health, and it can also provide an integration of body and mind.
By producing a meditative state or heightened awareness of living in the present moment, massage can provide emotional and spiritual balance, bringing with it true relaxation and peace.
Studies have shown we can benefit from massage even in small doses (15 minutes of chair massage or a half hour table session).
It’s undoubtedly a wonderful thing when your therapist begins unwinding those stress-tightened muscles, and your day’s troubles begin to melt away. But it’s the cherry on top to know this practice only gets better with frequency.
Session Info
A 30-minute session is $25
5 sessions = $75
11 sessions = $150
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