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The Alternative Medicine Known as Massage

The practice of applying structured pressure or even vibration in a manual fashion or with the help of a mechanical aid to the soft tissues of the body (connective tissue, ligaments, joints, tendons and muscles) in order to benefit health wise is known as massage. Massage is an alternative medicine that is often done in conjunction with traditional medicine, which also makes it a complementary medicine.

Massage may be applied by using elbows, fingers, hands, feet or forearm. A professional massage therapist uses a table or mat on the floor and the massage client can be partly, fully dressed or unclothed. Parts of the body may be covered with sheets or towels.

Massage evidence goes back to ancient civilizations found in China, Egypt, India, Greece, Japan, Mesopotamia and Rome. Massage became popular in the United States around the middle part of the 1800s and in the 1970s athletes began to use massage to recover from and also to prevent sports injuries.

There are many different massage methods used today including massage used as part of chiropractic care, osteopathic medicine and athletic trainers. Individuals with deep vein thrombosis, bleeding disorders or those taking blood thinners should not take part in massage therapy. Acupressure is a type of massage so is Shiatsu and Ayurvedic massage. There is also Balinese massage, reflexology massage, Shiatsu massage and stone massage just to name a few of the different types of massages found worldwide.

There are many physical benefits to massage including pain relief, and psychological relief such as the ability to reduce anxiety and depression. Massage works as a pain reliever because it releases endorphins, which are natural painkillers inside our bodies. Massage has also led to lowered blood pressure and heart rate. Massage stretches muscles and has been beneficial for those with Cerebral palsy suffering from spastic diplegia. Massage can even improve the symptoms from those suffering from HIV.

Massage can also be used to make labor shorter and easier for pregnant moms delivering their babies. It can ease medication dependency, and enhance your immunity by stimulating lymph flow, which is your body's natural defense mechanism. Massage improves the condition of your skin by improving circulation. It also increases joint flexibility and promotes tissue regeneration, which can help with those who have scar tissue or stretch marks.

Massage therapy can improve your concentration, increase your circulation, give you greater energy and improve your sleep patterns as well as to decrease your level of anxiety.

Arthritis sufferers have used massage so have asthmatic children who through massage have shown better pulmonary function. Burn patients have a reduction in pain and itching as well as anxiety. Women report less cramping and a decrease in water retention if they usually suffer from premenstrual syndrome. Just the touching brings about healing as long since known in the medical community. Touch like that done during massage has been used in neonatal intensive care units and hospice care settings for many years because it has many healing benefits.