Massage for your Body and Mind [history notes]

We all live such fast paced lives full of stress that everyone could do with the benefits of massage therapy. Massage helps not only to relax your body but does wonders for your mind as well.

Too much stress, can lead to health problems, so ridding your life of stress can benefit your health. Stress manifests itself in many ways including headaches, stomach upsets, rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes and depression.

Massage therapy is a combination of both science and art. Science in how the body responds to stress and to massage and art in the way that the hands can shape and affect the physical and emotional being of another.

Massage has a rich history throughout the world. In Greek the words masso/massein mean to touch or to handle, also to knead or to squeeze. In Latin, the word massa, means the same as masso in Greek. Arabic word mass’h or mass, means to press softly and the Sanskrit word makeh, also means to press softly. The very roots of massage, stem from ancient Chinese, Greek, Roman, Indian and Egyptian eras. Greek and Roman physicians used massage to relieve pain. Julius Caesar had daily massages to treat neuralgia. Egyptian tomb paintings show people using massage. There is a traditional Indian system called Ayurveda that uses massage as medicine and is still widely practiced in India. The father of Western medicine, Hippocrates, wrote of rubbing in regards to "binding a joint that is too loose or loosen a joint that is too rigid". Early physicians used massage to treat fatigue, illness and injury and based the practice on what they understood about the body functions. They of course lacked the knowledge concerning blood circulation that we know about today, so there uses of massage were limited to what knowledge they did have in those times, but they understood the connection between body and mind.

Massage therapy has become an important part of healthcare as more and more physicians, chiropractors and physiotherapists understand the benefits of massage for their patient’s well-being. More employers and health insurance carriers are supporting the use of massage for treatment plans. It is more widely accepted that there is a connection between the health of the mind and the health of the physical body.

Massage therapy is a growing field for those seeking a rewarding career field. There are many massage technique books, massage therapy programs and schools that can help students learn about massage techniques. If having a career that benefits people not only in the physical sense but gives them mental clarity and emotional support as well, then massage therapy fits the bill.

During WWI massage was administered to soldiers to relieve nerve damage as well as to soothe shell shock during the 1930’s in Western hospitals. Massage today is used for treating babies, seniors, sports professionals, those who suffer from osteoarthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia, paralysis, heart attack victims, and stoke. Many pregnant women find massage to give them great relief for the many aches and pains of pregnancy as well as to improve pain management during labor. There have been many uses throughout time for the physical, emotional and mental benefits of massage therapy.