Regular Massage Benefits
WHAT IS AN AROMATHERAPY MASSAGE?
Massage is the skillful use of the hands to manipulate soft tissue for the main purposes of relieving muscle tension and stimulating blood circulation. It is derived from the human instinct to make skin contact through touch, stroke and rub in order to offer physiological comfort to another. It was the first and is the simplest health care tributary. This is because stroking the skin triggers a release of endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkillers. By just releasing muscle tension, a massage reduces anxiety, creates a feeling of comfort and well-being, and lowers the stress hormones that weaken the immune system – namely cortisol and norepinephrine.
1. Helps to decrease stress
The number one benefit of massage. Many massage clients report that massage helps them cope with stress and feel more focused. A 2005 study found that women with breast cancer who received massage therapy three times a week found they were less depressed and angry, while a 2010 study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found massage boosted patients’ white blood cell counts, increasing the number of circulating lymphocytes – which in turn can boost immunity. Massage was also found to reduce anxiety and depression in a 2004 meta-analysis of 37 studies found that massage reduced anxiety and depression.
2. Encourages positive hormone production
Massage may help to release endorphins (the body’s own “feelgood hormone”). These are amino acids that work as the body’s natural painkiller.
By helping to reduce stress, massage can assist in preventing the overproduction of certain hormones such as adrenaline, which is the “flight or fight” hormone. This causes your muscles to tense as your body can’t tell the difference between a dangerous grizzly bear and an annoying boss. This tension can aggravate existing muscular conditions or cause pain by itself. Becoming stressed also releases cortisol, which can suppress the immune system, decrease libido and even contribute to obesity.
3. Reduces aches and pains
Regular massage can also help with back pain, another very common reason for having to take time off work. In a Group Health Research Institute study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2006, one in three patients receiving a weekly massage for 10 weeks found it improved their back pain, compared to just one in 25 who continued with their usual care.
4. Improves energy levels
Massage helps stimulate blood circulation. This in turn increases energy, heightening efficiency of organ function, particularly regarding the elimination of toxins. According to a small study carried out in 1996 by the Touch Research Institute, it can even make you feel more alert.
5. Massages feel good!
There is the simple fact that massage feels good and allows you to take time out for yourself without distractions of technology and work.