Massage Therapy

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MASSAGE THERAPY With fast paced lives and the continuous chase to meet deadlines, the tired mind and body does tend to seek out for a stress buster and increasingly so. Some people enjoy a stressful situation and find a rewarding experience in working under stress. Whereas there are people who are bogged down by stress and find stress affecting not only their minds but their bodies as well.

Stress can do that to you. Anger, frustration and depression could lead to health problems such as headaches, upset stomach, rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. How can one get stress out of the mind and body? Here is a tool that can help you eliminate stress to bring about a relaxed you: Massage Therapy

Massage Therapy, a combination of science and art, provides a relaxing experience by artistic hand strokes on the body to rejuvenate the mind and body and eliminate stress scientifically. The concept of massage is evident throughout history. The origin of the term ‘massage’ can be traced to four sources:

Greek - masso/massein, meaning to touch, handle, knead or to squeeze
Latin - massa, lifted from Greek masso and means the same
Arabic- mass'h or mass, means to press softly
Sanskrit- makeh, also means to press softly

The practice of massage however has its roots in the ancient Chinese, Greek, Roman, Indian and the Egyptian era. A Chinese book from 2,700 B.C., The Yellow Emperor's Classic Book of Internal Medicine, recommends 'breathing exercises, massage of skin and flesh, and exercises of hands and feet" as the appropriate treatment for -complete paralysis, chills, and fever." Massage one of the principal method of relieving pain for Greek and Roman physicians. Julius Caesar was apparently given a daily massage to treat neuralgia. Egyptian tomb paintings show people practicing massage. Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of medicine, places great emphasis on massage and it remains widely practiced in India. "The Physician Must Be Experienced In Many Things," wrote Hippo crates, the father of Western medicine, in the 5th century B. C., "but assuredly in rubbing.. for rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose, and loosen a joint that is too rigid."

The science and art of massage has been incorporated in different types of massage that work on the body to provide rejuvenation and relaxation to the mind and body. The choice of therapy is an important aspect of any diagnosis to achieve a fruitful result. Today, there are about 200 odd different type of massage therapy known to therapists worldwide. A decision to undergo a massage must be followed by:

The type of massage therapy one would want to experience
Whether the type of massage therapy is the best solution to the problem
The Massage therapist is certified and equipped to conduct various type of massage

When deciding upon a trained and certified massage therapist one may consider the fact that so far the only agreed upon training standards are stated in terms of hours of training (generally 500 hours in the United States, 2500 hours in Ontario, 3200 hours in British Columbia) rather than areas of competence.

Integral to the decision of undergoing a befitting massage therapy is the knowledge when not to do a massage. To re- assure oneself that an apparent solution may not in-turn aggravate a problem the following list gives you an insight when not to massage: