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Unravel The Mystery of Massage Therapy

By: Claudine Balsells

There is a big trend towards natural healing therapies. The growth of the massage therapy industry has doubled in the last five years. Many people recognize that they need to establish balance in their health programs. The importance of diet and exercise is heard all too often. However, recovery and recuperation as a result of diet and exercise is the missing ingredient. Massage therapy fills this void by manipulating the muscles and joints to relieve stress and tension in your body.
The root meaning of the term massage is friction and kneading. Kneading is a squeezing motion and friction is the associated heat generated from this action. This combination is at the heart of what massage therapy is all about.
The use of massage can be found in the writings of many ancient civilizations. There are references in Chinese medical books and even references to massage in the Bible. There were references to the ancient Romans using it to treat some forms of illnesses.
The result of many civilizations developing massage techniques is the great diversity of them found. Some are very distinct to a particular place. For instance, shiatsu is distinctly Japanese. Another variety is termed Swedish massage licking its roots back to Northern Europe.
If you go to any international spa, you'll have a virtual menu card of techniques to choose from. Most people are familiar with shiatsu, Swedish and reflexology. These are taught in massage therapy classes everyday. The number of variety of techniques available is quite extraordinary.
Massage therapy uses a number of actions and pressures for the soft tissues. Some techniques are specific to certain muscle areas. The muscles, joints and soft tissue areas very throughout the body and may require specific movements to provide relief. Many types of techniques involve a variety of movements to restore health and vitality.
Slowly there are beginning to be some studies of massage therapy. Most studies show a correlation between relaxing the mind and relieving tension in the body. It is critical for the body to have time to recuperate after physical activity. Also it is important for the mind to have quiet time.
A recent study that we reviewed showed that 60% of those receiving massage therapy reported lower levels of pain than the control group. Many of the physical monitoring statistics showed lower blood pressure and decreases in the average heart rate. Many also reported feeling less anxious and less overall stress.
The study also showed that it was effective in reducing blood pressure and heart rate. As results of this study, researchers theorize that massage may provide a benefit that parallels a model of psychotherapy. However, researchers do not believe that the benefits derived from massage are slowly psychological.
Another study conducted in May 2004 and published by the national Center for complementary and alternative medicine showed that massage was the ninth most popular form of alternative medicine. It also showed that 5% of the adult population used therapy at least once in the past 12 months. The popularity of massage treatments continues to rise.
One of the biggest hurdles for the studying of massage therapy is simply economic. Clinical studies are funded by companies hoping to profit from the positive results. There is not a way for a company to control massage techniques. This then leaves a void for funding these types of studies. However, these techniques have been used and refined since the beginning of time. They just don't have the same documentation as a large pharmaceutical company.

Article Source: http://www.articlefinder.org

Learn about how Massage Therapy is evolving with the times as advanced technology is making it more available to everyone. The most convenient method to receive frequent massage therapy is with an Omega Massage Chair for reliable, long term relief and relaxation.

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