IS MASSAGE A PART OF YOUR LIFESTYLE?

IS MASSAGE A PART OF YOUR LIFESTYLE AND HEALTH REGIMEN?

For the majority of Brits, the quick answer to this is "NO".

Unlike other countries, where massage is viewed as an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, the UK lags behind in its attitude towards this beneficial therapy.  Too often it is looked upon as something dodgy, sexual or a pampering treat.  If your view happens to be one of those, you are missing out on so many good things in your life that regular massage could bring to it, benefits such as improved moods, boosted metabolism and immune system.




Whether you need to benefit from relaxation, a reduction in muscle tension or to attain relief from a chronic, painful condition, a therapeutic massage can enhance an individuals overall sense of well being both emotional & physical, improving the quality of life.

Massage is for all ages, benefits the ill, the injured and the stressed, below is a chart of a variety of conditions that benefit from this therapy

 

Anxiety and depression	Asthma and Emphysema
Back, leg, and neck pain	Cancer
Carpal tunnel syndrome (repetitive strain)	Chronic Fatigue syndrome
Dislocations	Fibromyalgia
Fractures and edema	Gastrointestinal disorders
Headaches	Inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and bursitis
Insomnia	Kyphosis and Scoliosis
Multiple sclerosis	Parkinson’s disease
Muscle tension and spasm	Palliative care
Post-surgical rehabilitation	Pregnancy and labour support
Sports injuries	Strains and sprains
Stress and stress related conditions	Stroke
Tendinitis	Whiplash

Massage should be an essential part of your health plan, regardless of if you are an active person or sedentary, by providing the body with the following health benefits;

• pain reduction or elimination, improvement of joint mobility, reduction of muscle tension.  Muscle tissue is very clever, it can adapt to injuries to continue to function though at a reduced capacity.  How many of us get a niggly twinge in area where we had an issue months, even years before. This is because when your injury was healing, scar tissue & damaging adhesions formed, both of which reduce performance, flexibilty and produce discomfort and pain.  Massage can help break down adhesions and scar tissue thereby increasing flexibility, increasing strength due to the increase of oxygen through improved blood flow to the area.

• increased circulation, boost to the flow of lymphatic vessels lead to an improvement of your immune system, so you look and feel healthier due to the amount of toxins within the body being flushed out of the system.

• reduction in stress levels, anxiety and feelings of depression by acting upon the levels of the stress hormone cortisol.  Cortisol also enables the body to store fat cells in & around the abdomen, allowing fat cells to mature and grow larger.  The enzyme fat cells produce leads to the production of more cortisol that leads to the storage of more fat internally.  Therefore, an indirect benefit of regular massage, could be a reduction of fat cells/weight due to the treatment acting on the cortisol levels in the body.  In addition, massage can reduce cellulite by working upon the subcutaneous fat stores.  Massage places your body in a relaxed state that enables the body to reduce stress and in turn take the opportunity to begin repair of neglected parts of itself, for example damaged muscle fibres.

Taking an holistic approach to the body, regular exercise, healthy diet and yes, regular massage treatments allows your body to heal both inside and out, both physically and mentally.  The key strength to massage is as a preventative measure, having a trusted massage therapist in your "healthy corner" to stop conditions occurring before they cause you problems.

Until next week, stay safe

MB