Benefits of Massage Therapy for Children

Doctors advise young mothers to frequently massage their babies' legs to improve circulation, which helps them sleep well. This form of touch therapy also strengthens the bond between mother and child. For pre-schoolers, a full body massage helps them cope with schoolwork and other stressors. Aside from its relaxing effects, massage also effectively calms down hyperactive kids and improves breathing. Through massage courses taught by masters in this healing art, a mother or caregiver learns to sense a proper feel of the body area and apply the right amount of pressure to the muscle or nerve points.

Ancient Chinese Massage for Kids

Traditional Chinese medicine has been using the Na Du Jiao or Grasping Belly Corner technique to strengthen a child's digestive system and improve immunity from common illnesses. This massage takes only twenty to thirty minutes to apply on specific areas, such as the face, arms, legs, or back, depending on the health problem. This particular technique is part of the traditional pediatric massage (tuina) given by Chinese parents to children aged up to seven years old to improve their physical constitution.

For older kids, the tuina is applied together with acupuncture to unclog those blocked pressure points that prevent a continuous flow of the body's energy (chi). This blockage frequently leads to constipation and stomach aches, and may cause colds and allergies. Because children's bodies are still developing, their internal functions become weak and they get sick. At times, an imbalance in the child's Yin and Yang causes asthma and requires a therapeutic massage once a day or every other day.

Stress Relief for Kids through Massage

The toxicity of urban living can take its toll on the human body, which end up with aches and pains as well as skin and respiratory problems. Add to that the burden of meeting expectations at work or in school, and the body naturally breaks down from time to time. An increased amount of cortisol in the system slows down cellular growth and repair, impairs metabolism and cognitive function, and interferes with hormone production. If an adult can get sick and become chronically fatigued from too much stress, then it's probably more difficult for a child to deal with conflicts and personal issues every day.

Numerous studies were conducted on the beneficial effects of frequent physical contact between parents and children. In particular, mothers who spent nearly three-fourths of their time caressing and playing with their babies developed deeper emotional bonds with their offspring. Also, other cultures that encourage outward expressions of physical affection in families had lower rates of adult violence. Actually, touch is a form of body massage that reduces anxiety in children.