The Many Benefits of Massage...

"If you have a massage very week, you will have 2/3 less illness." 

~ H. Gruenn, M.D. Los Angeles, CA ~

 Massage Reduces the Effects of Stress

Up to 90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress related complaints such as headaches, backaches, neck pain, eyestrain, poor circulation, anxiety, depression, irritability, anger, high blood pressure, heart disease, ulcers, as well as physical and emotional exhaustion.

Massage therapy has an amazing effect on your body's nervous system.  When massage therapy activates your body's parasympathetic nervous system, it counteracts your body's negative response to stress, relaxing muscle tension, and allowing your heart rate, blood pressure, and circulation to return to normal.

Massage therapy also helps you become more aware of your body and your unconsciously held tension.  As you become more aware of your body, you will begin to recognize tension as it builds during the day, so that you may consciously release it before it can have a negative effect on your body.

"Stress:  The feeling you get when your gut says "No" and your mouth says, "Yes, I'd be glad to."  ~ Dick Francis ~

Massage Relaxes Tense Muscles

Muscles can become tight and ineffective for many reasons.  Stress injury, poor circulation, overuse, and misuse, can all cause you pain and discomfort as well as restrict your normal range of motion.  When left unattended, these conditions can become habitual and hamper the quality of your everyday life.

Massage therapy stretches and loosens tight muscles and connective tissue, breaking down and preventing further formation of adhesions, freeing your range of motion and reducing the dangers of fibrosis.

"The better you feel physically, the easier it is to be happy."  ~ Martin Rush ~

Massage Increases Blood Circulation

Like a sponge that is squeezed, a tight muscle can not hold much fluid, nor can it allow much fluid to pass through it.  This decreases your circulation of blood, and increases the strain placed on your heart.  Among the obvious problems that this can cause, this can leave you feeling fatigued and sore, reducing your precious energy reserves.

Massage therapy releases contracted muscles and pushes venous blood towards the heart, thus easing the strain on this vital organ.  This increase in circulation brings energy-producing nutrients and oxygen to your cells, as well as carrying away metabolic waste products that can make you feel listless and drained.

In addition, massage therapy increases your body's oxygen red blood cell count, helping to bring even more oxygen to your body's cells.

"The physical body is the mediator of all our experience.  If it seriously malfunctions, everything we perceive is distorted.  If it is relaxed and in balance, many of our difficulties fade to insignificance."  ~ John Mann and Lar Short ~

Massage Strengthens the Immune System

The lymphatic system is a major factor in your body's battle to ward off infection and heal injuries.  The lymphatic flow is usually very sluggish in most people, especially in those that have less active lifestyles.

Massage therapy not only improves the circulation of blood and its vital nutrients, but also increases the circulation of lymph in your lymphatic system, thus helping your body to fight off infection and speeding your recovery from injuries and illness.

"Touching is nourishment."  ~ Gay Luce ~

Massage Can Improve Nerve Function 

Contracted muscles can press on or pinch your nerves - causing tingling, numbness, or pain.  Massage therapy relaxes these contracted muscles to relieve the compression on your nerves.  Sensory receptors in the skin and muscles "wake up," bringing new awareness to areas that have felt "cut off" by chronic tension patterns.

"He who feels it, knows it more."  ~ Bob Marley ~

Massage Helps You Sleep Better

Tension caused by everyday stress can emotionally drain you, robbing you of the patience and stamina you need just to cope with day-to-day life, as well as disrupting your sleep - leaving you tired and irritable.

Massage therapy relaxes your tense muscles and calms your nervous system, causing your body's rhythm to slow down.  As your body slows down, your blood pressure lowers, your heart rate settles, and your breath becomes deeper and more rhythmic, priming you for a perfect night's sleep.

"I shut my eyes in order to see."  ~ Paul Gauguin ~

Massage Improves Skin Tone

The sun, smog, poor diet, and the unstoppable aging process all contribute to the drying, wrinkling, and the general loss of the youthful characteristics of your skin.

Massage therapy dilates the blood capillaries of the skin, increasing the uptake of vital skin-repairing nutrients, and speeding up the removal of harmful toxins.  This improved circulation helps to moisturize your skin, improving skin texture and relieving dryness and itching.

"This is the wisdom:  If we bless our bodies, they will bless us."  ~Gloria Steinem~

Physical Benefits of Massage Therapy:

• Physically relaxes the body
• Calms the nervous system
• Lowers blood pressure
• Reduces heart rate
• Slows respiration
• Loosens tight muscles
• Stretches connective tissues
• Reduces chronic pain
• Improves skin tone
• Increases blood and lymph circulation
• Speeds the removal of metabolic waste
• Increases red blood cell counts
• Relieves tired and aching muscles
• Stimulates the release of endorphins
• Improves muscle tone
• Relieves cramps and muscle spasms
• Increases flexibility and range of motion
• Promotes deeper and more effective breathing
• Speeds recovery from injuries and illness
• Strengthens the immune system
• Reduces swelling
• Reduces scarring
• Improves posture
• Reduces tension headaches
• Increases tissue metabolism
• Decreases muscular deterioration

Mental Benefits of Massage Therapy:

• Reduces mental stress
• Promotes better sleep
• Calms a bad temper
• Induces mental relaxation
• Improves concentration

Emotional Benefits of Massage Therapy:

• Reduces anxiety
• Enhances self-image
• Provides a feeling of well being
• Promotes greater creative expression

Many thanks to Night Owl Press for much of the above information.

"If you can stand whole in your physical body, there is nowhere on earth you cannot stand whole in your being."   

~ Arisika Razak ~