The Theory of Massage Therapy
What really is massage therapy? Many associated it as part of the lifestyle of the rich and famous. The popularity of massage has grown tremendously in the last 10 years. Many ordinary people are recognizing the benefits to receiving natural treatments for restoring their health. By definition, massage therapy is the manipulation of the soft tissues. This is done with different movements and pressures. Many of these techniques date back thousands of years in their origin.
A variety of movements and actions have been developed to soothe and relieve different parts of the body. Many are familiar with a kneading massage. This is a similar action to what a baker must do to make bread.
Massage therapy can be found in most civilizations throughout time. Since the beginning of recorded history, there has been evidence of massage therapy. Many techniques were developed from these ancient roots. The history of mankind has always been to find ways to restore and maintain health.
The result of many civilizations developing massage techniques is the great diversity of them found. Some are very distinct to a particular place. For instance, shiatsu is distinctly Japanese. Another variety is termed Swedish massage licking its roots back to Northern Europe.
Some of the more famous techniques are Swedish massage, shiatsu, reflexology, acupressure and many more. Many of these techniques can now easily be found being offered in most spots around the world. They are also being integrated into massage chairs.
The theory of massage therapy is to use movements and pressure to relieve tension, stiffness and discomfort in the body. Different parts of the body require different types of techniques or movements. Also, different techniques integrated complementary treatments to provide additional benefits.
A new study was published in September 2004 that used a need for analysis of peer reviewed scientific journals using massage therapy and the adult population. The conclusion of the study is that massage therapy provides a wide range of physical and psychological benefits.
Some of the typical benefits found in these studies have to do with relaxation. Many show that the heart rate slows down and the blood pressure is lowered. Psychological benefits were shown to be lower levels of pain and lower states of anxiety. This is generally shown to be true for two thirds of those participating in the study.
The study also showed that it was effective in reducing blood pressure and heart rate. As results of this study, researchers theorize that massage may provide a benefit that parallels a model of psychotherapy. However, researchers do not believe that the benefits derived from massage are slowly psychological.
Another study conducted in May 2004 and published by the national Center for complementary and alternative medicine showed that massage was the ninth most popular form of alternative medicine. It also showed that 5% of the adult population used therapy at least once in the past 12 months. The popularity of massage treatments continues to rise.
So far, there have been very few studies the benefits of massage. The main problem with connecting clinical studies is the cost involved. Most companies have little incentive to fund massage therapy studies as there is no way to control the methods in order to profit. This is perhaps the biggest hurdle to getting thorough studies conducted. Unfortunately, most clinical studies are driven by the profit motive. These procedures need to be protected by intellectual property or there is little incentive to fund them.