Tag: Benefits Of Massage

Massage Therapy Risks – Fact or Fiction?

True enough, some critics believe that there are also risks involved in massage as a therapeutic technique. Life is not a bed of roses and it follows that for every advantage there is an equivalent disadvantage. How real can the massage therapy risks be? What impact will they pose on the human health? While there are folks who ring the bell to the benefits of massage as a form of therapy, there are likewise those individuals who contest them.

Clear enough, it is safe to assume that there is typically an exception to every rule. Simply put, there are several other health conditions which are not to be addressed by massage alone. There is a much better medical solution that is apt for them.

Explaining the other Side

In several articles, you surely have read about the various kinds of massage therapy. They come in different names and are done in different fashions too. At the same time, they are comprised of different techniques. The point that is being driven is the fact that if massage therapy is applied to a serious medical circumstance such as cancer, the tendency is for the situation to get even worse. In fact, the individual’s life may be actually threatened. Doctors often advice that their attention should be called for prior to taking things further. Any type of massage therapy has to be pre-approved by them. Of course, the patient needs to go through an extensive test to ensure that no sort of danger will get inflicted on him.

A Threat for Cancer Patients

Studies show how this kind of therapy can truly endanger the life of a cancer patient. Cancer is a serious illness that should be addressed following the right healthcare precautions. Some of the risks involve the following:

Bone fractures. Cancer treatments often lead to the weakness of the bones. There is a tendency that during the massage, the application of some pressure may cause the bones to break.

Bleeding. Cancer-afflicted individuals often bleed profusely. For one, the deep tissue massage may cause them the life-threatening internal bleeding.

Spread of the cancer tumors. While this is yet being taken under a heated debate, there are some specialists who claim that a strong pressure on the tumor area will lead it towards metastasis. This may not yet be proven but it still calls for an extreme form of caution.

Lymphedema. This is the term used to refer to the buildup of the lymph in the soft tissues which therefore causes the soreness of the limbs. Some forms of massage therapy can cause this condition especially to someone who has just had the cancerous lymph nodes removed.

Symptoms of flu. Those who have been taking up chemotherapy sessions and at the same time the massage therapy are likely to develop the symptoms of flu.

Pains. Unbearable pains often come after the treatment which nonetheless heightens the patient’s suffering.

Post-surgery effect. Someone who is yet recuperating from a surgery should not get exposed to this kind of therapy since it may lead to the reopening of the incision and the provoking of the internal or external bleeding.

These are just some of the prime massage therapy risks known to the public. Sure enough, some other dangers may surface later on. Thus be very careful and seek for your doctor’s advice prior to consenting to this kind of healing procedure.

A General Overview on Aromatherapy Massage

The benefits of massage are known to all and sundry. They include relaxation, the improvement of blood circulation, relief of stress and pressure, lessening the effects of muscle tension, and the enhancement of both the physiological and emotional states. Of course it is necessary to include the use of the essential oils. They are known to soothe the body and mind. This is mainly the point of aromatherapy massage. It employs essential oils which are added into the base oil. When used, they are easily absorbed deep into the skin wherein they directly go towards the bloodstream. They may also enter the body when they get inhaled through the nose.

A Point Gets Strengthened
The advantages of massage are popularly known by many. Aromatherapy itself somehow strengthens the fact that massage can truly be therapeutic. The oils that are used are great additions to the effect that it poses. The aromatherapy techniques can either be done by a masseur or by an aromatherapist. Whichever is the case, you have two options too. It is either you go to a spa clinic or the specialist visits you at home.

Getting into Your Choices

The services of the aromatherapist or massage therapist always involve giving you the chance to select the essential oils or blends to be used on you. They can also blend the essential oils as per your request and they may give you what remains so you can bring it home. If you will be seeking this type of massage because you have some problems, then the practitioner will have to use a special mix to help alleviate your worries.

Aromatherapy at Home

The massage itself can be done even within the confines of your home. In fact, the massage oil can simply be prepared. If the oil is to be used to an adult, add 20 up to 25 drops of the essential oil for every two ounce of the base oil. If the oil is for a child, just add 10 up to 12 drops of the essential oil. If a baby is to be massaged, put on 5 up to 6 drops. It is as simple as that!

Available Aromatherapy Materials

Aromatherapy products are sold everywhere. Several companies are manufacturing them nowadays. After all, they are known for their pain relief, cleansing, and healing process advantages both for the mind and the body. There are also a variety of uses to which it applies. The medical arena sees it essential for lifting the depressive mood of the cancer patients. Athletes also enjoy the benefit of such in soothing their tensed muscles. At the same time, it energizes the body.

As you shop around, you will find different products being sold in the market. You will see the aromatherapy components contained in lotions, massage oils, conditioners, shampoos, candles, air diffusers, air fresheners, baby lotions, warm oil burners, laundry products, bath beads, bath salts, shower tablets, and the plug ins. There are products that are meant for both the adults and the children.

Most of the aromatherapy massage produces are safe to use. However, it is still necessary to consult your doctor prior to using any of the products in case you suffer from some special medical circumstances. You may also get in touch with a herbalist for more information on the use of the essential plant and root extracts.

THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF MASSAGE THERAPY

In an attempt to understand how and why massage therapy is as effective as it seems to be, scientists and medical researchers from around the world have been studying it for decades. Some characteristics of massage therapy have been conclusively resolved with apparent consensus among the learned scholars, while other characteristics remain as inexplicably mysterious as ever. For instance, they all agree that when a certain amount of pressure is applied to a soft tissue such as a muscle, some changes occur within the affected muscles. They also all tend to agree that massage therapy promotes relaxation and reduces the stress which often leads to deterioration or worsening of certain physiological conditions.

Those characteristics of massage therapy which have not yet been explained by conventional science, gave rise to a number of theories and postulates. You will note that they are all prefaced with the word might to indicate uncertainty as they described possible health benefits of massage therapy:

* Might provide stimulation that may help block pain signals transmitted to the brain and this is called the gate control theory of decreasing or alleviating pain.

* Might promote better health by stimulating the lymphatic system to increase the flow of lymph, which is the secretion that carries disease fighting cells through the body.

* Might re-route the clients nervous system away from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic. In doing so, the fight-or-flight reaction of the sympathetic nervous system with its increased heart and breathing rates along with tightened muscles of distress are shunned in favor of the rest-and-digest reaction of the parasympathetic nervous system with its lowered heart rate, slowed breathing and relaxed muscles.

* Might be instrumental in effecting beneficial changes in the body by preventing fibrosis through the process of breaking up scar-like tissue

* Might arouse the body to discharge chemicals such as serotonin or endorphins which area known to give people the feelings of wellbeing.

* Might improve sleep patterns which is essential to pain control and healing processes.

* Might contribute to the overall mental and physiological health by the intimate interaction between the client and the therapist.

The following are specific cases and their reported benefits whether they are understood or merely observed with bewilderment:

* Students at a New Jersey Medical School who were given massage therapy before an exam displayed less anxiety, lower respiratory rates, a substantial increase in white blood cells and an enhanced immune system.

* Cancer patients at the James Cancer Hospital and Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio experienced less pain and decreased anxiety after receiving massage therapies than those who did not get such treatments.

* Studies at the University of South Carolina show that women who recently lost a child were less depressed after massage therapy.

* The National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that massage therapy improved weight gain in infants who were premature or those who were exposed to HIV. They also determined that massage therapy expedites recovery in patients who had abdominal surgery.

* Researchers at the University of the Miami School of Medicines Touch Research Institute discovered that massage therapy decreases high blood pressure, relieves migraine headaches, and generally increases alertness and performance in the workforce.

* Many additional studies confirm that massage therapy reduces heart rates, lowers blood pressure; increases blood circulation and lymph flow; relaxes stiffened and tense muscles while stimulating weak and inactive muscles to compensate for lack of movement due to an illness or an injury; speeds up the healing process after surgeries, disease and injuries; improves the range of vision; increases endorphins; reduces anxiety, tension, depression, pain and itching in burn patients; and Autistic children exhibit calmer and more predictable behavior.

So, is massage therapy beneficial? Yes! Massage therapy is beneficial on, oh, so many levels. The mechanics of the process may not be clear just yet, but the outcomes are undeniable by anyones standards.

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SELF MASSAGE DEVICES

This is for all of you out there who are like most of us; too busy and too cash poor to treat ourselves to massage therapy on a regular basis or at all. That is indeed an unfortunate self denial. However, this particular denial can never guide us to also deny the fact that we can all use the benefits of massage therapy for it is not a mere luxury of the superfluous nature but an inherent need. As a matter of fact, massage therapy is deeply embedded into the fabric of our being and we all instinctively practice it to some extent without ever calling it that.

What do we do when our tummies hurt, when we have headaches, when we stub our toes, when our muscles tighten and cramp and so on and on? We automatically and without contemplation or forethought place our hands to the areas of discomfort to press and rub. Guess what? That is self massage therapy. And self massage therapy is every bit as effective and beneficial as any other kind of massage therapy, and it can be performed at any time and at any place to accommodate our unforgiving schedules and at no cost.

However, there are some parts of our bodies which are difficult to reach and therefore impossible to self massage. There are also times when our own two hands are too fatigued or sore to perform the self massage therapy we need. Furthermore, there may be certain situations that would require our hands to be put to other uses while we wish we could do some massaging. For those reasons, some very intuitive and insightful inventors designed self massage devices which can resolve these issues without depriving us of a good massage.

Massage devices are by no means new concepts as implements have been used on peoples bodies for many centuries throughout the world:

* Mesopotamia and Egypt. Some writings indicate that the Mesopotamians and the Egyptians used a variety of objects to manipulate the body and those would date as far back as 3000 B.C.

* China. The oldest massage tool that has been discovered thus far is made out of jade and it was used in the Longshan culture of China during the Shang dynasty and dates back to about 2000 to 1500 B.C. a massage knuckle.

At approximately the same time, tools carved of wood or animal bones were used to apply pressure to painful points in the body, and needles carved out of wood were used to treat gout.

* Greece and Rome. Stones (jade, marble, basalt and others) were allegedly used either hot or cold by the Greeks and Romans in 175 B.C.

The strigil, rubbing cloths and tapotements made of ebony, wood or bone were also used in the Roman and Greed empires and flagellation (self beating) was practiced with the use of twigs or leafy branches.

* England. The English shaped needle-like instruments to alleviate the symptoms of gout.

An English veteran of the American Revolution, Admiral Henry of Rolvenden, created a large collection of tools to treat his own aches and pain. He drummed his back with a hammer covered with cork and leather; he made a few wood carvings to pound the soles of his feet, he used cattle ribs to loosen the knots along his tendons and to stroke certain parts of his body and he fashioned small bone gadgets to massage the inside of his mouth.

* Pacific Islands. The Polynesians used a thinly curved limb shaped out of the indigenous guava tree called the laau lomi-lomi stick as well as rounded lava rocks called lomi balls. Both these devices tools were used for rubbing, pounding and pressing.

In the 1890s the Health Culture Company of New York introduced an entire line of manual self massage devices and those have been used widely ever since, even more than the electronic devices which began flooding the market in more recent years.

The selection available to you today is extraordinary and the prices are surprisingly low. Among them are rollers, balls, percussion sticks, mats, vibration devices, and much, much more. All you need to do is visit websites such as http://www.ultimatewatermassage.com/ProductCart/pc/viewcategories.asp and be amazed.

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