Massage Therapy and It’s Benefits

Many people suffer from a great deal of stress each day. They become yelled at by a co-worker, they get stuck in traffic, they have an argument with their significant other, or they are undergoing a divorce. The list goes on and on. In addition, many people discover that they rarely take time for themselves. Well, one thing a person can do to relieve their stress is to get a massage.

Some benefits that a Massage Provides Are as Follows:

[if !supportLists]1) [endif]Reduces the stress hormone, cortisol. This hormone comes from the adrenals and causes depression and mental illness. An abundance of cortisol can also lead to digestive problems, headaches, sleeplessness, and weight-gain. It is the key hormone released in the fight-or-flight system. And, no one wants to feel like they just got scared by one of the zombies in ‘Walking Dead’ right? I actually was a zombie actor at a haunted house during one Halloween. And trust me, the public did receive an extra bit of cortisol. People jumped up like they were jack-in-the-box’s after I jumped out of my hiding spot behind a tree. With that being said, one’s cortisol levels do need to be regulated.

[if !supportLists]2) [endif]Massage Therapy Over Time Can mitigate pain, increase energy levels, and stimulate the client on an emotional level as well as on a physical one.

[if !supportLists]3) [endif]Helps Lower Blood Pressure: Receiving a massage will decrease blood pressure levels. Over time, a person’s systolic and diastolic blood pressures will be lowered. Receiving many massages over time, will abate trigger sources for hostility, anger, depression, and anxiety. After a while, having lower blood pressure will also limit the chances of stroke, heart attack, and/or kidney failure.

[if !supportLists]4) [endif]Relaxes Tense Muscles No body wants to have tight muscles right? And, having a tense body will not help a person to win a dance competition on ‘America’s Got Talent’ or be the victor in a limbo contest in Miami. So, get a massage to help that future winning dance body. “The purpose of massage therapy is to target the source of the body’s pain via eliminating tense muscles, increasing flexibility, and providing relaxation to the affected muscles as well as to the body as a whole” (http://www.body-mindmassage.com/7-benefits-of-massage-therapy/).

[if !supportLists]5) [endif]Massage Increases Circulation to the affected muscles which provide oxygen and other nutrients to the massaged tissues. This will lead to decreased edema and less tightness in the muscles and joints. In addition, the increased circulation will release endorphins (pain killing hormones) which raise the dopamine and serotonin chemicals. These neurotransmitters aid the body in many ways, emotionally as well as physically.

[if !supportLists]6) [endif]Improves Posture What do all these activities have in common?: Working at a desk, shoveling snow, driving a car. A: They all worsen a person’s posture. Back and neck pain are the two most common results of poor posture. Receiving a massage will help to put the body back into proper alignment. A massage will make one’s tense muscles looser and less sore from having poor posture. This will cause the body to be placed back into its original, pain-free posture state.

[if !supportLists]7) [endif]Ameliorates Immune System Type A people, who are more prone to larger levels of stress, are more susceptible to illness and injury. High stress is also usually combined with lack of sleep and bad nutritional habits, which lowers the body’s immune system. This will cause the person’s body to be less apt to protect itself against pathogens and infections. Massage therapy will also augment the immune system’s cytoxic capacity (the abundance of the body’s ‘killer cells’) and build up the body’s inclination to release nourishment.

Those are some of the multitude of advantages for receiving a massage therapy appointment. So, go head and book one. You will not regret it!

Bibliography

1) http://www.body-mindmassage.com/7-benefits-of-massage-therapy/