Relax your body, rejuvenate your mind, revitalize your spirit.

The Power of Massage

Getting a massage is a great way to wind down, pamper yourself, and relax. But did you know massage therapy does much more than just provide an hour or two of relaxation? Throughout history, in both Eastern and Western cultures, massage therapy has been used as a tool to help manage various health conditions, enhance wellness, and relieve chronic pain.

A massage stimulates your nervous system, wakes up your muscles, organs, and glands; moves blood and lymph fluid, and gets multitudes of cells to produce and release chemicals and hormones.

What does massage do? The therapeutic values of massage?

It used to be a common thought that massage was purely a form of pampering and didn't have therapeutic value. However, more and more doctors are sending their patients to a massage therapist, to aid in recovery or improve overall well-being. It is now known that massages from professionally trained therapists, can help with both mental and physical health wellbeing. Here are some of the common problems that massage therapy can prove beneficial.

Massages counteract the stress of sitting.

In the modern world, we spend many prolonged periods of time sitting. From driving, to work, to meetings, our body is often sitting in uncomfortable chairs and isn’t moving for stretches of time. This can cause problems with posture and can add stress to the muscles in the back. One of the health benefits of massage is that they work to counteract the strain that sitting brings to your muscles and joints.

Nervous system relaxation and stress reduction

A relaxed nervous system balances out hormone production. Production of stress hormones such as corticosteroids (LDL) decreases, as “feel good” hormones like endorphins serotonin, and dopamine increase. Hormones that regulate sleep/wake cycles, menstrual cycles, immune cells, blood sugar, and even how much food you eat, all react positively to the relaxation that accompanies a full-body massage.

If you have areas of pain and tension in your body, it’s possible that they are the result of pressure on nerves caused by tight muscles. Massage may help ease tension and pain by applying pressure to certain points and by gentle soft tissue manipulation.

Muscle benefits

Your muscles are like sponges – when they contract, blood and lymph fluid are squeezed out, and when they relax fresh blood enters bringing fresh nutrition, oxygen, and immune cells. Increased blood supply also accelerates the removal of lactic acid and other products of muscle metabolism, that contribute to cramps, muscle fatigue, and DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Your massage therapist may also incorporate stretching and range of motion movements into the massage, which mobilizes the joints and places beneficial tension on your muscles, ligaments, and tendons.

Lymphatic support

Holistic massage aims to increase the efficiency of your lymphatic system, which is very closely tied to the circulatory system. The role of the lymphatic system is to collect excess fluid from the tissues, purify it and return it to the bloodstream. This role is important because many substances are continuously leaking out of the blood capillaries into the surrounding tissues. When your lymphatic system fails to sweep up these excess fluids, they can accumulate, cause swelling and potentially increase the risk of infection. An efficient lymphatic system helps to defend your body against germs such as bacteria, viruses & fungi that may cause illness. However, if there any indications that the Lymphatic System is under stress such as localized swelling or fluid retention, the therapist should refer the person to their General Practitioner or Lymphatic Specialist.

Improved bone blood supply

Bones also have a blood supply and receive the same advantages from massage as your muscles. Blood flow brings calcium and other minerals to your bones, to support their strength and function, so your skeletal system receives a major boost from massage.

Support for the Cardiovascular System.

Full-Body massage therapy can improve general blood and overall circulation by loosening tight muscles, helping support better cardiovascular health through increased blood flow.

Poor circulation can mean trouble for heart health. The health of your arteries relies on proper circulation, and lack thereof can lead to heart disease. Massage is a great promoter of whole-body circulation, leading to improved and more efficient blood flow and waste elimination. It can also help reduce blood pressure.

Too much stress can lead to cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat), which prevents the heart from pumping effectively, therefore causing insufficient blood supply to reach the brain and other organs. Regular massage can help reduce this effect, leading to greater heart and organ health.

Stress can cause the production of too much cortisol (fight or flight hormone), causing vasoconstriction/constriction of the blood vessels, resulting in the breathing rate to rise, elevated heart rate and an increase in blood pressure. An increase in cortisol can also lead to problems with digestion, acid reflux, and stomach upsets. Massage can help reduce stress and return the mind and body to a more healthy and balanced state.

Improved breathing

Your massage therapist may ask you to take a deep breath at the start of the massage. Unrestricted breathing is one of the fastest roads to stress reduction, and your first breath on the massage table may become a sigh of relief. In addition to the diaphragm, there are muscles in your ribs, chest, and neck that assist breathing.

Since so much tension accumulates in the shoulder, chest, and neck muscles, it’s no wonder that our breathing becomes restricted when we’re stressed. As you relax further into the massage and your breathing deepens and evens out, your massage therapist can work into tense muscles to reduce tightness in muscles that assist respiration.

Skin rejuvenation

The slight friction of your massage therapist’s hands along with the massage lotion and oil causes gentle exfoliation, allowing fresh skin cells to emerge.

Massage and fat

Subcutaneous fat forms just below the surface of your abdomen, buttocks, thighs and other areas. Probably the most well-known being cellulite, which occurs when lumps of fat beneath your skin harden over time.

Visceral fat is a type of body fat that’s stored within the abdominal cavity. It’s located near several vital organs, including the liver, stomach, and intestines. It can also build up in the arteries. Visceral fat is sometimes referred to as “active fat” because it can actively increase the risk of serious health problems.

Massage by itself will not reduce your cellulite, decrease your belly fat or shrink your thighs. But if undertaken with light exercise you will see the difference. Vanity is a powerful motivator, but visceral fat is seriously unhealthy and should be your primary goal in weight loss. Massage can help with the appearance of surface fat (cellulite) by using pressure, heat, and friction to help disburse fatty deposits. However, the only really effective way to get rid of fat is if undertaken in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise.

To summarize.

The effects of a Holistic Massage and the benefits to a person’s wellness, are numerous and profound, helping the body renew itself and reverse the effects of stress. Brush aside any thoughts that massage is only a feel-good way to indulge or pamper yourself (it is nice though). On the contrary, massage can be a powerful tool to help you take charge of your health and well-being, whether you have a specific health condition, injury or are just looking for stress relief.

So why not experience an after massage feeling, which clears your mind, relaxes your body and induces a feeling of lightness and t wellbeing. An occasional massage leaves you feeling great, but regular massage can do so much more. It enables the therapist to get to know your body and those areas that may need a special personal approach.

Give massage a try, you won’t be disappointed.