For Bookings  Text  07551 190 194             * * * Where Beauty Begins by Healing the Soul  * * *              Check Out My Links !
ReNew Holistic Therapies
  • ANNOUNCEMENT
  • Home
  • About
  • SERVICES
    • HEALING >
      • REIKI HEALING
    • HOLISTIC >
      • Hopi Ear Candling
    • LASHES >
      • LASH NV
    • MASSAGE >
      • Indian Head Massage
      • Seated Acupressure
    • SOLROX™ Ocean Therapy >
      • SOLROX™ Ocean Therapy
      • SOLROX™ Applications
      • SOLROX™ The 3 Stages
    • PRICE LIST
  • NEWS!
  • OFFERS
  • Gift Vouchers
  • SPIRITUAL STORE
    • ReNew with Graceful Light
  • NATURAL COSMETICS
    • ReNew Natural Cosmetics
  • Himalayan Salt Lamps
  • CBD CHOCOLATE
  • PURITION
  • CANDLES
    • Darcys Candles
    • Darcys Opportunity
  • REVIEWS
  • Contact
  • Location
  • BLOGS
  • Graceful Light

A Brief History of Massage

6/2/2014

3 Comments

 
Massage is an intuitive healing art that has been around for millennia based on our instinct to rub areas that hurt. We rub our belly when our stomach aches, parents rub their children when they scuff themselves and mothers rub and rock their infants when they cry.
Massage therapy is a field that takes that very basic principle and evolves it into a science. The word ‘massage’ comes to us from the Arabic root “mass’h” which means to touch, knead or squeeze.

Many believe that massage therapy is the precursor to all other forms of manual therapy; including physical therapy, chiropractic and orthopedics.

The oldest written record of massage is approximately 4000 years old. It was found in a Chinese medical text, Con-Fu of the Toa-Tse, dated at about 1800 BC. These early accounts detailed the application of massage techniques for therapeutic purposes. 
Specific massage modalities, such as Reflexology, have been depicted in Egyptian hieroglyphs (see illustration) as forms of hand and foot therapy. This particular pictograph was found in the tomb of Ankmahor, thought to have been the physician to the Pharoah. Unfortunately, much of the healing knowledge and wisdom of the ancients has been lost through the passage of time.
In our own western tradition, starting with the Greeks, one finds deep roots for the validity of massage therapy in the medical world. Hippocrates of Cos (460 to 380 B.C.), generally accepted as the ‘father of medicine’ and author of the Hippocratic Oath, wrote in his memoirs,

“The physician must be experienced in many things but assuredly also in rubbing (anatripsis); for things that have the same name have not always the same effects. For rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose and loosen a joint that is too rigid.…

Rubbing can bind and loosen; can make flesh (referring to the ability to tone muscle tissue) and cause parts to waste (soften and relax).

Hard rubbing binds; soft rubbing loosens; much rubbing causes parts to waste; moderate rubbing makes them grow.”The Romans continued the Greek tradition culminating in the learnings and teachings of Galen (130-201 AD).  He wrote several medical and philosophical volumes and is considered one of the greatest medical historians and physicians of antiquity.

Before becoming a notable physician to a number of Emperors in the first century AD, he spent several years ‘interning’ as physician to the Gladiators of the Circus Maximus. He developed a complete regiment for the application of massage techniques for diseases and physical injuries. For all practical purposes, he was the original innovator of what we would today call Sports Massage or Orthopedic Massage.

On a less flattering point, Galen reveals in his book Hygiene how deeply his feelings were towards massage and his disdain for those who would lower the standards of the profession - in this case, sexual – and lessen the meaning and purpose of its use.
Picture
Picture
Upon overhearing a derogatory slur about his beloved profession, he wrote, “These are all wanton witticisms, not at all befitting a man learned in so august an art.” Unfortunately, this stereotype is a social stigma that has carried on to this day.

Europe turned away from the teachings of Hippocrates and Galen during the Dark Ages. Conservative and repressive religious dogma frowned upon any act that involved touching that felt pleasurable to the recipient. These acts were unacceptable and often considered sinful.

It wasn’t until a Swede by the name of Pehr Heinrick Ling, stepped onto the world stage that massage slowly regained its footing as a manual therapy. Coincidently, it was his work with athletes, specifically gymnasts, that led to his development and research of soft tissue technique that became known as Swedish Massage. His work culminated in the establishment of the Royal Central Institute of Gymnastics in 1813. He is generally regarded as the ‘father of modern massage.’ The techniques he developed are considered the foundation of all massage therapeutic modalities:

  1. Effleurage – gliding or stroking
  2. Friction – rubbing or pressing
  3. Petrissage – squeezing or kneading
  4. Tapotement – striking, beating or percussion
  5. Vibration – oscillations on the skin

Most recently, there has been an explosion of research, development and interest in massage therapy. There are currently over 70 massage modalities practiced in the United States. Among them are Stone Massage, Pregnancy Massage, Shiatsu, Thai Yoga Bodywork, Reflexology, Neuromuscular Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy and Reiki (just to name a few). 
The general public, through funding (AMTA and FSMTA) and researchers like Tiffany Fields at the University of Miami, is gradually sloughing off outdated stereotypes and dispelling myths about massage. A growing number of Americans are not only learning but enjoying the benefits of massage therapy performed by qualified therapists.

Today, with the emergence of ‘preventative’ medicine and the rising cost of health care, modalities such as massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, nutrition, and yoga are no longer ‘alternative’ but rather a cornerstone of every American’s good health practice.

Extract taken from http://itandb.com/history.htm
3 Comments

How Massage Heals Sore Muscles

5/23/2014

0 Comments

 
"Why get a massage? Well, because it feels good, for one thing. But obviously that isn't the only reason, in fact, massage therapy can help promote muscle recovery after a tough workout or provide other benefits.
A massage after vigorous exercise unquestionably feels good, and it seems to reduce pain and help muscles recover. Many people — both athletes and health professionals – have long contended it eases inflammation, improves blood flow and reduces muscle tightness. But until now no one has understood why massage has this apparently beneficial effect.

Now researchers have found what happens to muscles when a masseur goes to work on them.

Their experiment required having people exercise to exhaustion and undergo five incisions in their legs in order to obtain muscle tissue for analysis. Despite the hurdles, the scientists still managed to find 11 brave young male volunteers. The study was published in the Feb. 1 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

On a first visit, they biopsied one leg of each subject at rest. At a second session, they had them vigorously exercise on a stationary bicycle for more than an hour until they could go no further. Then they massaged one thigh of each subject for 10 minutes, leaving the other to recover on its own. Immediately after the massage, they biopsied the thigh muscle in each leg again. After allowing another two-and-a-half hours of rest, they did a third biopsy to track the process of muscle injury and repair.

Vigorous exercise causes tiny tears in muscle fibers, leading to an immune reaction — inflammation — as the body gets to work repairing the injured cells. So the researchers screened the tissue from the massaged and un-massaged legs to compare their repair processes, and find out what difference massage would make.

They found that massage reduced the production of compounds called cytokines, which play a critical role in inflammation. Massage also stimulated mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses inside cells that convert glucose into the energy essential for cell function and repair.
“The bottom line is that there appears to be a suppression of pathways in inflammation and an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis,” helping the muscle adapt to the demands of increased exercise, said the senior author, Dr. Mark A. Tarnopolsky.

Dr. Tarnopolsky, a professor of pediatrics and medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, said that massage works quite differently from Nsaids and other anti-inflammatory drugs, which reduce inflammation and pain but may actually retard healing. Many people, for instance, pop an aspirin or Aleve at the first sign of muscle soreness. “There’s some theoretical concern that there is a maladaptive response in the long run if you’re constantly suppressing inflammation with drugs,” he said. “With massage, you can have your cake and eat it too—massage can suppress inflammation and actually enhance cell recovery.”

“This is important research, because it is the first to show that massage can reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines which may be involved in pain,” said Tiffany Field, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami Medical School. She was not involved in the study. “We have known from many studies that pain can be reduced by massage based on self-report, but this is the first demonstration that the pain-related pro-inflammatory cytokines can be reduced.” she said.

Getting a massage from a professional masseur is obviously more expensive than taking an aspirin. But, as Dr. Field points out, massage techniques can be taught. “People within families can learn to massage each other,” she said. “If you can teach parents to massage kids, couples to massage each other. This can be cost effective.”

Dr. Tarnopolsky suggests that, in the long run, a professional massage may even be a better bargain than a pill. “If someone says “This is free and it might make you feel better, but it may slow down your recovery, do you still want it?” he asked. “Or would you rather spend the 50 bucks for a post-exercise massage that also might enhance your recovery?”

From the Blog below:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/how-massage-heals-sore-muscles/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
0 Comments

Why is Massage Good for you?

5/19/2014

0 Comments

 
"Just as your consistent exercise plan reaps big benefits, massage does more for you if you engage in it regularly. Even a monthly treatment can help you maintain general health."
“Touch is basic to survival and that’s all the excuse anyone should need to indulge."

A weekly massage may seem an indulgence, but new research suggests it can have major health benefits,” says Elliot Greene, past president of AMTA [American Massage Therapy Association].

Luckily, regular massage is easily accessible for everyone. It is no longer available only through luxury spas and upscale health clubs. Today, massage therapy is offered everywhere from businesses, clinics, hospitals to even airports. 
Picture

Dampen Stress and Raise Your Mood

Massage has the ability to raise mood-elevating brain chemicals such as serotonin and scientists are now finding that massage can also reduce blood pressure, boost the immune system, and dampen harmful stress hormones. So powerful, doctors have started prescribing massage to help patients manage both pain and stress. And many health care providers share in the cost. Mark Rapaport, MD, the chairman of the department of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said his own curiosity led to a published study that looked at 53 healthy adults who received one of two types of touch treatments. Those who had received a Swedish massage with moderate pressure experienced decreases in stress hormones and increases in white blood cells, indicating a boost in the immune system, as revealed blood tests. There is a growing body of research, including this Cedars-Sinai study, that shows a link between many forms of touch—from massage to hand-holding—and improved health.

Relax and Stimulate the Body’s Communication Lines

Your body strives to keep all of its systems in balance and, thereby, maintain optimum health. Just as proper nutrition, exercise and rest help to keep you feeling your best, massage relaxes tense muscles and stimulates the body’s communication lines to help it do its job.

Better Zzzz

There are few things that can compete with massage for relaxation. Studies show that babies fall asleep faster when massaged than when simply rocked. Interestingly, they stay asleep, rather than waking the moment their mother tiptoes away.

Same Category as Proper Diet and Exercise

As well put by Tiffany Field, founder of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami’s School of Medicine, “All these factors puts massage in the same category with proper diet and exercise as something that helps maintain overall health.”
In conclusion, you owe it to your health to brush aside any thoughts that massage is only a feel-good way to indulge or pamper yourself. To the contrary, massage can be a powerful tool to help you take charge of your personal well-being, whether you have a specific health condition or are just looking for another stress reliever. Pick up the phone and book your first massage and be sure to carve out room for more!

Studies of the benefits of massage demonstrate that it is an effective treatment for reducing stress, pain and muscle tension.

Extract from:
http://elementsmassage.com/maplevalley/blog/6612/why-regular-massage-is-good-for-you
0 Comments

    Archives

    June 2014
    May 2014

    Categories

    All
    A Brief History Of Massage
    How Massage Heals Sore Muscles
    Why Is Massage Good For You?

    RSS Feed


© 2020 Renew Group
Website created by "Renew Web Designing"
Proudly powered by Weebly