Massage Therapy - When Done in the Proper Way, Has a Healing Effect

Massage is the act of relaxing body muscles by applying pressure through an act of kneading softly. The practice is known to be therapeutic in all aspects in terms of physical, physiological and psychological. Massage involves a manual or mechanical motion or vibration around the body. Although the mostly targeted areas are the muscles and joints, other body tissues that benefit from the action include tendons, the skin, ligaments and some of the lymphatic organs. What's more, carefully applied massage on the temple can help relax the mind and the brain.

Massage therapy has become a practice that is being carried out professionally. People who are engaged in this profession are known as masseurs. They have their own special rooms in which their clients are offered the services. The client either lies or sits on a massage table or chair or lies flat on a mat on the floor. The body is either fully or partly unclothed or covered with towels or a blanket. The services are becoming more and more popular and many people are now demanding for them since they have been proved to have a clinical effect on many mental disorders.

The massage therapy has a long history that dates back to Rome, Greece and Mesopotamia civilization. Writings on the practice have also been found in these places. One book that has been constantly referred to in relation to massage is the Bible, which shows that the wives of the ancient kings in the Bible were accustomed to the practice and they would use olive oil in the process. The use of oil makes the process less frictional, not forgetting that the oil has a soothing effect on the skin.

Massage takes different forms, depending on the geographical region. In the Chinese culture for example, massage is carried out using different parts of the body like the fingers, arms and feet! The application of pressure through the massage process is sometimes combined with acupuncture and the resultant process is called acupressure. Massage therapy takes on other forms and names like ayurveda. This is a practice that entails, meditation, application of pressure on the body organs, yoga and application of herbal drugs.

Balinese massage is yet another form that entails rolling the skin and kneading at the same time. To make the process less painful, the masseur makes use of aroma therapy, such that the mind of the client is diverted from the process and is made to concentrate on the different aromas.

Barefoot massage therapy is a massage technique that concentrates on the sole of the feet. Also known as reflexology, the technique is believed to have a direct positive relaxation effect on the mind. The theory behind reflexology is that the feet harbor reflexive nerves that are directly connected to other parts of the body and through which the massage effect flows to the brain. Whatever your choice of massage technique is, one thing we must all agree with is that massage, when done in the proper way, has a healing effect.