Proof That Massage Is An Effective Natural Therapy

Massage has long been known as an accepted natural therapy for many conditions. There exists many types of massage, including those that involve manipulation and traction of body extremities. The different types of massage give different benefits, catering to a varied list of medical conditions and complaints. But all these types of massage have one thing in common: they all involve human touch.

What is massage?

Massage involves the manipulation of different soft tissues, aimed at promoting healing. The effects of massage include neurological, mechanical, reflexive, and psychological effects. It has been used therapeutically to achieve pain relief, reduce adhesions, provide better sleep, promote fluid mobilization, promote muscle relaxation, and induce vasodilatation. But unlike manipulation per se which deals with joint segments, massage targets softer tissues.

Massage involves the movement of the hands, sometimes involving pulling or traction.

Is massage therapy really therapeutic?

About seventy years ago, Rene Spitz filed a report about healthy infants who were given adequate nutrition and care but were deprived of human touch. These infants were soon diagnosed with FTT (failure to thrive) and eventually died. Because of this curious phenomenon, the physiology of touch and massage has been studied over and over. It has been theorized that massage is powerful not only because of its mechanical manipulation, but also because it involves touch, which obviously plays an important role in keeping people healthy. Touch has, in fact, been considered a vital factor in keeping babies healthy; touch is important in the normal growth and development of any human being.

Massage and touch therapy both possess the capacity to heal and maintain the health of individuals. It might have been the first tool that man has used to combat sickness and pain.

What kinds of massage exist?

Massage therapy has different cultural concepts; it may inculcate both Western and Eastern medicine principles. Massage influenced by Western medicine has previously lost popularity because of many new technolocial discoveries; however, massage is again being studied in terms of its role in healing and health and should become popular as a natural and safe therapeutic tool very soon.

Because of the millions of anecdotal accounts as to the effectiveness of massage, more research is being done to establish how massage works and if it really does work as a natural means to provide pain relief.

What are the specific types of massage?

Many types of massage exist, including reflexology, shiatsu, and many others. To find out more about these massage types, click here.