Is massage part of your regular wellness habits?
Or do you just come in for special occasions when you believe you deserve a treat? Massage is considered part of health care in other countries and is an ancient form of healing. It’s no surprise that most chiropractors have an onsite massage therapist as part of their practices. Massage has benefits for the physical body, the mind, and your energetic life force.
9 Great Benefits of Massage
1. Do you see a chiropractor? Every time you get adjusted, your muscles will want to pull your spine or pelvis back to to where it was before, since those muscles had adjusted themselves to that position. Massage helps train them to go back to how they should be in relation to the newly adjusted bones.
2. Do you exercise? Massage therapy has many great benefits when combined with exercise. Even if you don’t consider yourself an athlete, all adults should be getting regular exercise, and massage will help to:
- reduce muscle soreness
- improve your range of motion
- balance your muscle tone (to prevent it from being too highly toned)
- improve exercise performance
- decrease muscle stiffness after exercise
- promote relaxation
3. Massage relieves pain. Most people either already have or will experience back pain at some point, and massage enables those people to feel better and be able to function instead of remaining debilitated. Same goes for headaches and migraines.
4. Say hello to endorphins during every massage session. You know that great feeling you get after you’ve peaked in your exercise session? Get more of that natural goodness with massage. Endorphins are our natural pain killers and stress fighters. Who doesn’t want more natural stress fighters?
5. You will sleep better! Most of us could use a little extra rest, so why not promote healthy sleep with regular massage? Your brain will thank you. You will also feel more alert, one 1996 study found.
6. Your immune system will be boosted according to a Cedars-Sinai study from 2010. “This research indicates that massage doesn’t only feel good, it also may be good for you,” said the principal investigator of the study. ”More research is ahead of us but it appears that a single massage may deliver a measurable benefit.”
7. You’ll even look better! Massage increases blood flow and stimulates lymphatic drainage, making your largest organ (skin) look healthier and younger. Cupping therapy on the face greatly multiplies this particular benefit! We call this Facial Rejuvenation Cupping at Renu.
8. Soothe anxiety and depression without medication. Massage reduces cortisol, that pesky stress hormone. We all know cortisol much too well, and massage directly reduces cortisol levels, multiple studies have shown.
9. Massage soothes the mind and spirit, not just the body. During massage or bodywork sessions, you will enter a parasympathetic state (like a meditative state), allowing mindfulness to occur naturally. This helps balance you emotionally and spiritually, in addition to all the great physical benefits mentioned above.
Massage is important for your health. It’s documented. It’s something that many people with debilitating pain have discovered has helped the regain their lives. But regular massage should not be enjoyed only by those in chronic pain; each of us will benefit by incorporating a monthly massage into our lifestyle. We really can’t afford not to!
References:
AMTA article
Science Daily article
Huffington Post article
Prevention.com article
MassageTherapy.com article
