It is understood and well-known that massages feel great. It is common to think of massages synonymously with a peaceful and great experience at some retreat or spa and quite honestly, who doesn’t like a massage? The manual pressure added to trigger points and sore areas of the body help relax muscles and renew the body, creating a wonderful experience. Soothing aromas waft the clinic as you wait for your massage session. While a massage can be relaxing and luxurious, a frequent massage can be a great way to help maintain a high level of health and wellness, which a win-win experience for everybody. Listed below is some background on massages and included are some of the best health benefits one can obtain from massage.
Massage Therapy
Once considered a premier service offered at spas and health clubs, massage clinics (as they are called nowadays) have evolved into the healthcare field. Massage therapists are now a vital and pertinent aspect of wellness, so much to the extent that they are being offered in health clinics, hospitals, and senior nursing homes. In addition, many companies offer in-house services with massage therapists and some even have built in clinics for employees. The reason for offering this is because of the health benefits one can obtain from a massage. The massages are just a part of keeping the employees happy and healthy and frequent massages are a great investment into the wellness of the employee. Not to mention, the employees enjoy this nice perk as part and it keeps us happy.
Forms
There are differing forms of massage including Swedish, deep tissue, sports, and trigger point massage. Some facilities offer reflexology or lomi lomi, but these are typically specialized services. Selecting the right massage depends on varying factors. Some consider different forms as a menu of valuable services while others require a particular massage. Finding the right form takes time and experience and it comes with time. For best results, it is wise to give all forms of massage a try and compare how each one feels after the relaxing experience.
Stress
Generally considered alternative medicine, massage is great for your health for many reasons. One of the most prominent factors that regular massages affect is stress. Stress is a necessary part of life; it is responsible for our primal urge to fight-or-flight in response to something that stresses us out. While our flight-or-flight response is an inherited trait from our cavemen ancestors; nowadays, our stress involves day-to-day events from our careers or from our kids at home. Work and careers are probably the most common source of stress in the world and it is no surprise to us why this is. This is where massages are needed. Studies have shown that stress levels can be reduced in as little as eight massages within four weeks. With a reduction in stress, overall mind and body factors are improved so that your body feels renewed and relaxed. How can you argue with eight massages squeezed into a four week span to improve your stress levels?
Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is one of the biggest health issues the United States faces and massages are one of the best ways to regulate your blood pressure. Through the reduction of overall stress from a massage, the body is completely relaxed, which in return eases the tension in the entire body. When the body is calm all over, the blood pressure is reduced, which means your heart does not need to work quite as hard, making it much more efficient.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a form of autoimmune disease (arthritis) that causes systemic pain in particular points throughout the body. Those who suffer from fibromyalgia are usually in constant pain, which tends to force you to neglect physical activity. Massage therapy with a regular frequency over at least five weeks has shown immediate results among those who experience pain, anxiety, and depression often seen with fibromyalgia. This is great for those who want to alleviate the symptoms of the limiting disease and massage therapy is a great alternative form of medicine for this. Enjoy a relaxing, soothing, and healing massage if fibromyalgia affects your body.
Headaches
Chronic tension headaches affect many individuals and for varying reasons. Recent studies have examined the effects of massage therapy techniques on chronic tension headaches. For those who suffer from non-migraine headaches, massage therapy might be a practical way to treat the condition without taking medication. A study published on NLM demonstrated that frequent, once per week, massages can help prevent the amount of tension headaches and the severity of pain linked with headaches. One reason this may be relieving for the head is due trigger point massage therapy. This form of massage eases the tight and tense muscles to help renew the lower part of the head around the neck area. Given the evidence of trigger point massage therapy, this type of massage can be a headache relief with soothing benefits if you suffer from chronic headaches.
Increased Sense of Well-Being
Massage therapy can help improve many aspects of health. One aspect that may be good for health is one’s perceived level of well-being in response a massage. In a study on hospitalized individuals who received massages, 93 percent reported overall higher well-being levels than from when they did not have one. In addition, these patients stated that the benefits lasted longer than one day, which demonstrates the longevity of the massage therapy services on well-being. Sometimes healthy well-being starts with the mentality of feeling well and having a regular massage can sure help to improve how you feel about yourself.
Consensus
Massage therapy is a relaxing form of wellness and traditionally has been located in spas, clinics, and luxury areas. In recent years, massage therapy has become an area of healthcare due to the powerful natural benefits offered for many aspects on health. One of the most noticeable benefits is in stress levels, which virtually every adult could stand to lower. In addition, massage therapy is beneficial for improving your joint and muscular pain due to fibromyalgia and other conditions, including chronic headaches. Overall, the health benefits are vast and continue to prove to be a top alternative form of healing and wellness. Having regular massages of about once per week is a great start if you suffer from the conditions mentioned above and there might be some added benefits from a higher frequency.
