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| Massage therapy is the systematized manipulation of soft tissues for the purpose of normalizing them. The term 'bodywork' is often used to refer to therapies that are combined or confused with massage, e.g. Shiatsu, Trager, Rolfing, Polarity and Reflexology. Many people find a massage beneficial enough to have one on a regular basis, scheduling them as frequently as needed or as often as finances will allow. History Massage has been used for thousands of years as a treatment for many ailments. Function; Reasons For Use The basic goal of massage therapy is to help the body heal itself and to increase health and well-being. Therapeutic massage can be used to promote general well-being, enhance self-esteem and help restore a sense of body awareness - important for realizing when you are becoming tense and where you tend to hold your tension. Practitioners use a variety of physical methods including stroking, rubbing, kneading, percussion and vibration. A general body massage may last for 40-90 minutes and local body massages for 10-15 minutes. Kneading under and round the muscles can help break up adhesions. There is more limited evidence that these anxiety reductions are cumulative over time. Practitioners claim that giving patients a concrete experience of relaxation through massage can facilitate their use of self help relaxation techniques. The evidence that massage can lead to improved sleep and reduce pain remains anecdotal. There are some small studies indicating immune stimulation by increasing white blood cell quantity and natural killer-cell activity. Deep pressure should not be used on swollen nerves for it will increase the inflammation. Abdominal massage should not be done in cases of general, femoral, inguinal and umbilical hernia; inflammation of the uterus, bladder, ovaries or fallopian tubes; kidney stones; bladder or gall bladder problems; ulcers of the stomach or intestines; and pregnancy. Abdominal massage should not be performed after a heavy meal, but at least two hours later. |
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