Apr 05 , 2020
Unleashing the Hidden Benefits of Massage Therapy: 6 Unusual Benefits
"Massage is often associated with a moment of relaxation, but the benefits of massage therapy are far more important than you might imagine. This practice from Eastern countries, take root in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine. As medical research has progressed, its effectiveness on the human body has been demonstrated over and over again."
Stretching the muscles, mobilizing the joints, kneading the painful points is the oldest art of healing. Getting a massage is taking care of yourself but also better resisting the stress triggering pathologies.
Massage therapy includes a set of massage techniques intended to manipulate the muscles but also the flexible tissues of the body such as tendons, ligaments, skin, and connective tissues.
The massage therapist performs massage with the fingers and hands but also with the arms, knees, or feet and, if necessary, with mechanical and electronic tools.
The goal of massage therapy is to relax the muscles and flexible tissues to facilitate blood circulation and therefore the oxygen supply of the massaged parts.
For athletes, massage therapy can relieve cramps and pain by promoting recovery.
Once released from the tensions that assail it, the body is more able to defend itself, in particular to better resist stress. However, it turns out to be the trigger or even the accelerator of eight current pathologies out of ten.
These positive impacts, known for a long time, have been attributed for decades only to the increase in skin temperature in the treated area, to the elimination of toxic waste accumulated locally, but also and above all to the placebo effect. generated by being taken care of, cocooned.
Without counting the irrational explanations put forward to justify the supposed benefits of some practices of exotic inspiration, which generally have only the name. Hence the skepticism - even distrust - of some people about the real usefulness of massages.
What are the health benefits of massage?
Reduce stress
Fatigue and tension are symptoms of stress, they build up in the body and seriously affect both mental and physical health. Massage helps release tension in the body. It stimulates the receptors of the skin which influence the nervous system and promotes the production of endorphin, dopamine, and serotonin. These have an anxiolytic effect and trigger a feeling of well-being that relaxes and soothes. Massage therapy, therefore, reduces stress, promotes a good mood and helps fight depression.
Anxiolytic effects
Maneuvers that are strongly supported all over the body, such as those performed during a real Swedish or Californian massage, also have a beneficial effect on the immune and hormonal systems. On this occasion, specific receptors for deep touch located in the dermis, the layer of skin located just under the epidermis, are stimulated. They then send nerve impulses to the spinal cord, which routes them to the brain.
In response, it begins to produce large amounts of dopamine, serotonin, and endorphin, the cerebral hormones of relief and pleasure that immediately spread throughout the body through the bloodstream.
An American study ***, carried out in September 2010 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, clearly demonstrated that it also resulted in a significant decrease in the secretion of cortisol, the stress hormone. Intravenous catheters were placed in the arms of fifty-three healthy volunteers. All then lay down on a comfortable massage table, in a strictly identical setting.
But only half of them received a state-of-the-art 45-minute Swedish massage. The others were only allowed light touches, mainly light touches. Analysis of the blood samples taken from all participants before and after the session clearly showed the difference.
In people who have been really massaged, there is a marked increase in the concentration of lymphocytes (white blood cells of the immune system) and a significant decrease in vasopressin, a hormone that regulates blood pressure and the release of cortisol by the adrenal glands.
In the others, on the other hand, only an elevation of oxytocin (satisfaction hormone) is detectable. The anxiolytic effect of massages is therefore not just a placebo effect.
Improve sleep
By playing on the nervous system, the massage will soothe your body mentally and physically, it will release tension, and help regulate your natural cycle. You will then be able to enjoy a deeper sleep and you will find good energy more easily. The massage also helps to relax the muscles and release the accumulated tensions, for a more comfortable sleep.
Ease the pain
Massage therapy helps relieve muscle tension, which helps reduce chronic pain, particularly in the back, neck, and shoulders. Massage is a natural method so you will not get addicted unlike some drugs prescribed to combat this type of pain. Massage acts directly to promote your health because reducing stress helps prevent the onset of certain heart and intestinal diseases, it also promotes weight regulation and the proper functioning of the digestive system.
Facilitate blood circulation
The pressure points induced by the massage play directly on the blood system and promote circulation. Better circulation prevents heavy legs, dilated blood vessels, or the appearance of varicose veins. Good blood circulation helps restore energy to the body, promotes the elimination of toxins, and gives it a better tone while preventing cardiovascular disease.
Strengthen the immune system
Massage therapy also acts on the lymphatic system which helps the proper functioning of the immune system. The massage stimulates the circulation of the lymph through the body and strengthens the defense against organisms, bacteria, and viruses. The body is better prepared to protect itself from disease and your general health is improved.
By acting on the nervous system, massage therapy can have a positive impact on the whole body, both physically and mentally. Because everything is linked, if you are stressed you will sleep less well, which will weaken your immune system, decrease your energy, and expose you more easily to different types of diseases. Massage therapy is directly beneficial to the whole organism while being a natural method. Even if sometimes several sessions are necessary and the effects can be felt after several sessions, a good massage will be really beneficial for your overall health.
You can also intensify its effects by combining massage sessions with a better lifestyle, involving the use of food supplements from scientific research for their energy intake.
The use of essential oils mixed with massage oil will provide therapeutic properties during the massage session. The combination of these two techniques will be particularly effective in reducing stress and strengthening the immune system through the combination of these actions.