Back Pain Relief for Pregnancy, Seniors & more
Massage Therapy can help if you are: Recuperating from an injury Experiencing lower back pain during pregnancy In need of neck or joint pain relief Just plain stressed out Additional benefits & effects of Therapeutic Massage include: Dilating the blood vessels improving circulation and relieving congestion throughout the body. Flushing metabolic waste from the tissues Increasing white & red blood cell production Increasing endorphins ("feel good chemicals") Providing an overall sense of well-being Reducing inflammation & swelling in the joints Decreasing healing time of injuries Relaxing muscle spasm & relieving tension throughout the body Improving muscle tone & preventing atrophy Breaking down adhesions and scar tissue in muscles, ligaments, and tendons Relieving and releasing pent-up emotional stress. History of Massage Massage Therapy has been used by people for hundreds of years all over the world. It was one of the principal methods of relieving pain for Greek and Roman physicians. Julius Caesar was said to have been given a daily massage to treat neuralgia. Massages were performed in ancient Greek culture during the time of Hippocrates as part of the ritual preparation for incubation or temple sleep, whereby the ailing person would sleep in the temple and dream that the mythical god Aesculpius and his daughters Hygiea and Panacea would appear to cure him. "The Physician Must Be Experienced In Many Things," wrote Hippocrates, 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 ancient Romans enjoyed hot oil aromatherapy massages after bathing in thermal baths. Egyptian tomb paintings show people being massaged. In Eastern cultures, massage has been practiced continually since ancient times. A Chinese book from 2,700 B.C., The Yellow Emperor's Classic 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.