Massage Therapy

Benefits of Massage Therapy:
Massage may serve to a considerable extent as a substitute for exercise by increasing the blood supply of a muscle, just as exercise may be considered a sort of massage, through the pressing and rubbing of the muscles against each other. When properly administered, the manipulations of massage act upon the muscles in such a way as to produce a suction, or pumping effect, pressing onward the contents of the veins and lymph channels, and thus creating a vacuum to be filled by a fresh supply of fluid derived from the capillaries and the tissues.

The influence of massage upon the lymph circulation is especially worthy of attention. The lymph vessels drain the tissues of waste and toxic substances, and prevent clogging from wandering cells. Lymph channels are most abundant in the subcutaneous tissue and in the fascia which cover and lie between the muscles, so that these vessels are mechanically acted upon in massage, especially by friction and kneading movements

There is no single function which may be more clearly demonstrated to be directly encouraged by massage than digestion. By is judicious application, the digestive process is promoted in several ways:

1. By Improving the Appetite . - The general improvement in nutrition occasioned by the removal of waste and the acceleration of the blood and lymph circulations, creates a demand for an increased supply of nutriment which nature manifests by an improvement in appetite.

2. By Promoting Secretion of the Digestive Fluids . - Massage, especially abdominal massage, through its reflex influence upon the glands and circulation of the stomach and intestines, promotes the production of the digestive fluids in sufficient quantity and quality.

3. By Promoting Absorption of the Products of Digestion . - Hopadzë has shown that massage of the abdomen, for even so short a time as ten minutes, applied at once after eating, diminishes by fifteen to seventy-five minutes the length of time the food is retained in the stomach.

4. By Aiding Peristalsis . - Massage not only aids the absorption of food from the stomach, and its passage from the stomach into the intestine, but also excites the reflexes by which the alimentary mass is moved along in the small intestine to the colon, and finally discharged from the body. Indeed, massage has no rival in its efficiency as a means of promoting intestinal activity.

• Massage is very effective in the relief of pain and discomfort, whether due to a particular health disorder or to chronic stress.
• Massage increases blood circulation and lymphatic circulation, which helps remove waste and toxins from muscles.
• Massage seems to cause a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate due to reflex effects through the sympathetic nervous system. Reflex effects include muscle relaxation, relief of spasms and cramps and increased range of motion.
• A decrease in anxiety, tension and fatigue, along with the enhancement of a general sense of well-being is also a benefit of receiving a massage.

From Volume 1, Issues 1 and 2 of Massage Heritage Times. Compiled and Edited by Robert Calvert