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Message Therapy and Natural Healing
Natural Healing by MASSAGE THERAPY
Massage is now recognized as a form of natural healing therapy. In the United States alone there are now over 1000 schools teaching the healing art of massage. The types of massage can be either of the Western style or of the Eastern style. Both styles encompass definite massage techniques which boost flexibility and circulation by lubricating muscle tissue and promote relaxation. Western-style massage is devoted basically to lessening physical dysfunction and pain. Under this style, the different techniques (such as chiropractic massage, clinical massage, and medical massage therapies) are concerned with the physical aspects. The Eastern style of massage (such as acupuncture, reflexology, Ayurveda, and Shiatsu) takes into account the mind, body and spirit of the patient, from a holistic perspective. Now what is massage, essentially? Massage is a form of communication with another person conveyed through touch. When we touch another person, we either send a message of love or a contradictory message. All of us have the capacity to impart a message through massage because all of us are composed of energy. That energy can be positive or negative, depending on what we are thinking. Our mind commands and our body carries out its order – and in the process, the life of another human being is changed through our touch. This kind of communication is not just physical – it evolves into a spiritual connection as well. So a person who receives massage from a person who radiates positive energy is touched on a spiritual level as well. The body, mind, and relationships of the recipient of a massage are slowly being healed because positive energy is being supplied through touch. Technically, massage is the application of pressure on another person’s body using your own hands (and perhaps even your arms, elbows, and feet.) The recipient of a good massage will find that he benefits in various ways from it: a. Blood and lymph circulates better through the body b. The oxygen-carrying ability of blood improves c. Waste products of our stressed-out muscle tissue (such as toxins) are broken down and move out of the body easier d. Contracted muscles are relaxed e. Sluggish muscles get a boost f. The nervous system becomes more balanced g. Skin circulation and condition are enhanced h. The internal organs’ circulation and condition also become better. The nice thing about massage (also known as bodywork) is that both the giver and the recipient of a massage benefit when one is given. Basically, massage is a great way to relieve stress. Research has shown that up to 80% of disease is somehow caused by stress. Massage is one way to take care of our bodies so that we do not fall ill so easily. If we do fall ill, massage helps us bounce back to a state of good health. There are different types of massage. The main technique most massage schools espouse is Swedish massage. It is based on a system of movements created by Per Henrik Ling. It relies on applying not just light, gentle strokes, but deeper, stronger strokes as well. A variation of Swedish massage is Esalan. Esalan is based on the concept of sensuality so the massage is usually given in an environment conducive to relaxation. This may involve the use of music, giving the massage outdoors, and even having both the massager and massage person completely naked. But Esalan is not a sexual experience – its aim is just to relax the massagee. Pressure point bodywork is similar to the concept of acupuncture, where energy tends to accumulate in certain points of our body. Massage is done on the pressure point which is obstructed (which corresponds to illness in a particular point of our body.) There is also deep tissue massage. Massage therapists who are skilled in this are trained to locate the deeper levels of tissue. They are able to relax contracted muscles and trigger the release of tissue that adhered to one another. Deep tissue massage sessions are intense enough that repressed traumas and emotions are drained from your body. Structural integration aims to re-focus your body around its central axis by reaching for the deepest part of muscles and connective tissue. Completing different sessions of structural integration leave patients with a sense of physical and psychological balance. Rolfing is a type of massage that falls under structural integration. It is marked by deep tissue manipulation so that the body will be restructured and realigned in cooperation with gravity. A Rolfing session leaves a patient with better posture, and a body that is aligned with the force of gravity. Trigger point therapy is based on the idea that pain in the body can disappear when extreme pressure is exerted on trigger points. These trigger points are actually spots in contracted muscles that are tender to the touch. How does it work? A massage therapist who uses this technique tricks the chronically-tense muscle into release by halting the reflex that sustains chronic tension. One of the more popular schools of trigger point therapy is myotherapy. Hydrotherapy employs water along with movement or massage to relieve discomfort. Water can be used as a bath (such as foot baths, steam baths, shallow hip baths, salt baths and mineral baths) or as hot tubs, heat packs, ice packs, saunas, showers and also natural cold or hot springs. Hydrotherapy is based on the knowledge that human skin is quite sensitive to cold and heat since it is permeable and contains an intricate system of blood vessels. The application of cold packs is known to reduce blood flow to smaller blood vessels yet boosts blood flow to deeper tissues. It also reduces temperature, slows breathing, constricts muscles, lessens the rate of healing, stops bleeding, reduces pain, lessens fluid accumulation, and cuts down on inflammation and swelling. On the other hand, when heat is used, small blood vessels expand, blood moves to the skin surface, blood viscosity is reduced, temperature increases, breathing rate goes faster, swelling increases, muscle pain dulls, drainage of injured parts improves, congestion and pressure are eased, digestion is hastened, and the patient is lulled into a relaxed state. Manual Lymph Drainage (also known as lymph massage) is a type of massage that emphasizes thorough knowledge of the lymphatic system. This technique is devoted to boosting the flow of lymph through compression strokes. These concentrate on sites that have the greatest amount of lymph tissue (particularly in muscle tissue) and lymph glands. Through lymph massage, the body gets rid of toxins better, internal chemistry becomes more balanced, and organ and immune system function improves. Orthobionomy – This is a type of bodywork which mixes the martial arts theory (that our body’s energy circulates in certain ways) with osteopathy and massage therapy. An orthobionomy practitioner supports the reaction of the body to release an energy blockage. Eventually, the patient’s body opens up and releases the blockage.
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