The Benefits of Massage

Is Bodywork Right For Me?
Massage provides relief to people of all ages—from infants to seniors—and from all walks of life—the weekend or competitive athlete to the home gardener or overstressed, overworked executive. One need only experience a good massage to know it's beneficial to the body, mind and spirit.

Treating the Body
Massage therapy can help to treat a variety of health conditions, the most prevalent being stress-related tension. Massage has been proven beneficial in treating fatigue, sleep disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes, low back pain, immunity suppression,  post-operative surgery, age-related disorders, infertility, eating disorders, smoking cessation, and depression, to name just a few.

How does massage work?
Bodywork offers a non-invasive and humanistic approach based on the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Massage has many physiological effects, including:

• Increasing circulation, allowing the body to pump    more oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital
  organs.
• Stimulating, the body’s natural defenses (the lymph system), against toxins.
• Relaxing and softening muscles.
• Reducing spasms and cramping.
• Increasing joint flexibility.
• Reducing recovery time for strenuous workouts and eliminating subsequent pains of any level athlete.
• Releasing endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller. (For this reason, massage is sometimes incorporated into treatment for chronic illness, injury and recovery from surgery to control and relieve pain.)
• Improving range of motion and decreasing discomfort for individuals with low back pain.
• Relieving pain for migraine sufferers.
• Providing exercise and stretching for atrophied
  muscles.
• Reducing shortening of the muscles for those with
  restricted range of motion.
• Contributing to shorter labor and reduced tearing for expectant mothers.

It’s important to note that there are some conditions where massage is not recommended.  Your practitioner should ask you about your specific health conditions and determine if massage, bodywork or somatic therapies are a good idea. In some cases, the practitioner may need your doctor’s permission before providing services.

Treating the Spirit
Massage also provides another therapeutic component largely absent in today’s world: tactile stimulation, or, more simply, touch. The Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami published groundbreaking research that showed preterm babies who received massage therapy gained 47% more weight gain and shorter hospital stays than newborns that did not receive massage.

Babies are not the only benefactors.  Many adults have reported cathartic experiences on the massage table. As a therapist carefully unwinds a client’s stressed and tired muscles, the therapist may very well be unwinding the taut, pent-up emotions that one doesn’t always have time to process in the middle of the day. And the feeling of being touched in a safe, caring, compassionate manner can be a very powerful experience, reminding the client that she or he is not alone in the world.

There is an obvious link between bodywork and physical, emotional and spiritual health.  As studies learn more about this connection and we realize all that it has to offer, we will be able to take full advantage of all of the benefits of massage and bodywork.