People who think that massage therapy is a luxury do not truly understand the benefits of massage. Muscles stretched and kneaded regularly are muscles relaxed and ready to meet the challenges of life.
Everyone knows that massage is relaxing. The underlying benefit is that this relaxation reduces blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate, and the level of stress hormones in the body. Relaxed muscles also provide relief from muscle aches and pains that adversely affect your health and drain away energy you could be using to pursue other activities.
Relaxed muscles also mean easier movement with less risk of injury in both daily life and when the unexpected happens. And watch those stiff joints disappear with the right kind of regular massage. Just a few other things that massage can do for you: strengthen your immune system, improve sleep patterns, and promote deeper and easier breathing.
Research supports the benefits of massage. According to Tiffany Field, Ph.D., founder of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami’s School of Medicine, “[These benefits] put massage in the same category with proper diet and exercise as something that helps maintain overall health.” (Newsweek, April 6, 1998)
For most people, finding a qualified massage therapist who provides the right massage is the challenge. Massage therapists and their techniques vary so much that the best way to find what you like is just to get a number of different massages from different massage therapists. Let each massage therapist know what you want, ask questions, and choose who works best for you. Then relax and enjoy!
Disclosure: I was a practicing licensed massage therapist for almost 12 years, and you can get lots of information at my Massage Therapy Web site.
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