Massage, I Love Thee….Let Me Count the Ways

By Q

The ancient way to ease all that ales you is as simple as touch.

Massage helps with many conditions such as premature infants weight gain to lowering high blood pressure.  Here are 5 things that massage can help you overcome.

1)      You don’t have to massage the most aching part of your body first. Maybe simple shoulder rub will do. Your body creates a chemical change that reduces pain and stress throughout the body during a massage.

2)      The immune system is a sensitive part of the human body; just a little thing can cause it to be altered. When the body is stressed or over worked it creates a chemical called cortisol that kills off cells that are important to immune health making it easier for you to get sick. Which just makes you even more stressed? It is an ugly cycle that a simple massage can prevent. Massage makes you feel relaxed which everyone knows is the opposite of stress.

3)      Massage relaxes the body which is a key factor in lowering high blood pressure.

4)       The pressure is what relaxes the muscles and tendons in your body and allows you to feel more at peace.  Many people thing that one technique or type of massage is better than another. I feel it’s the technique that is important as much as it is the pressure that goes into the massage.

5)      Sometimes people say “oh I can’t go get a massage.  I don’t like other people touching me.” Well, that’s fine you can massage yourself and get a similar result.  Sometimes you’ll hear “oh it hurts too much when other people touch this area; so, I can’t get a massage.” Well again yes you can. Massaging yourself is a great alternative and you can learn how:  http://tinyurl.com/o7xtpde

6)     Another thing that helps people is a quick 10 minute massage after working out. Almost everyone has experienced soreness after a long workout. A massage after a workout reduces the amount of inflammation in your muscles and allows for a less painful workout.

7)     Massage has been proven to help reduce depression, back and muscle pain, and general muscle stiffness. Sometimes it is even better than medication, acupuncture, exercise, and yoga. In cancer patients massage has been prescribed as a way to treat fatigue, pain, anxiety, depression, and nausea. Massage has also been proven to help ease the symptoms of PMS.

8)     Massage is also a great way to stay young. The increase of blood flow to the face and scalp pumps up the slack in skin and allows for the metabolic wastes that settle in sagged skin over time to be released and good proteins to replace them. The extra blood flow also allows for a healthy complexion and makes your hair appear healthier.

9)     Massage also boosts brain power. A 15 minute chair massage can increase accuracy and completion time when given to a group before a math quiz. So we should exchange massages 10 minutes before every single test we take for the rest of the year. I bet the test scores will increase!

Questions:

What do YOU feel is the best benefit of massage?

References:

www.huffingtonpost.com

www.thedailybeast.com

Q’sbrain.com

14 thoughts on “Massage, I Love Thee….Let Me Count the Ways”

  1. A very cool and beneficial post. It has helped me in knowing the various ways in which massage therapy can help. Various types of massage therapy are there and with many benefits. Now I have detailed knowledge about this. And the whole credit goes to you. Thank you..!! 🙂

  2. Everything about massage is great! I love getting them almost every night before bed. I sleep better on the nights we get to do Swedish

  3. I never thought of touch being that important, since i didn’t really like anyone touching me growing up, but it sounds like it helps…

  4. Thanks Q! I have found massage to help with pain reduction in my life. I was just dealing with my pain, and now I am virtually pain free!!

  5. Massage is wonderful! I love giving and receiving massage. I love facial and scalp massage because it relieves puffiness, wrinkles, stress, and provides relaxation to many overworked americans. I also love it on myself! 🙂 I think the best benefit of massage is helping heal an issue such as hip pain/alignment. Massage is a powerful medicine in many, many ways. I love it!

  6. The thing that I love best about a massage is not only the way it helps with stress but also helps me rest easier at night. I recently started just massaging my traps and biceps and triceps and in the morning I feel refreshed. I am so happy I am taking this course for a better future.

  7. I LOVE massage. I think the one of the best benefits is stress and pain relief. But everything about massage is great!

  8. This is a great blog. I think massage is so awesome for all of these reasons. It’s great not only for the body, but also the mind and soul!

  9. This is a very interesting blog. I knew that massage benefits you but, very cool to learn different ways that it does help. I know that I do feel less stressed and when I’m less stressed I get sick less and that is a great thing!

  10. I found this to be very useful info, specially pertaining to the head massage and helping for healthier hair

  11. Very interesting post. For myself personally, the best benefit of massage would be the the stress relief it provides. I carry my stress on my shoulders and have found that a 5 – 10 minute massage at the end of the day helps me stay relaxed and less tense.

  12. I like massage I like the benefits of massage, my teachers have shown me so many things I can do for myself. Hand squeezing, wrist stretches, side of the neck massage, and foot rubbing. Massage therapy has been so good for me and I am excited to be able to show others what I have learned.