| Massage has shown to boost the
body's ability to heal, as well as relieve stress.
Massage therapy
has been employed to treat a variety of conditions. Benefits
from Massage therapy vary from relieving stress and anxiety
to easing the pain of arthritis, migraine or fibromyalgia (A
chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal
pain, fatigue, and multiple tender points that occurs in
precise, localized areas, particularly in the neck, spine,
shoulders, and hips; also may cause sleep disturbances,
morning stiffness, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, and
other symptoms). People who suffer from chronic pain may
also benefit from massage therapy such as those with lower
back pain, neck pain and sports injuries. While the benefits
appear to be plenty, the expertise of the massage therapist
plays a crucial role in the benefits enjoyed by the
receiver.
It’s a wonder to think tension or stress could mean
serious health trouble, isn’t it? But here is the bitter
truth to drive the wonder away: Tension can build up in the
muscles, causing a decrease in blood circulation and
nutrient delivery to tissues. When stress and tension
subsist over a long period of time it silently creeps over
to affect many systems of our body leading to heart
disorders, memory loss, gastrointestinal disorders and
decreasing immune system!! A massage therapist without a
certification would probably add to your stress
accumulation than relieve you of it. Hence, it becomes a
first check, as in all forms of remedies to look for a
certified Massage Therapist.
Massage Therapy by its very
medium of touch work on muscles, tendons and ligaments to
decrease muscular tension, increase removal of metabolic
waste and thereby promote nutrient delivery to healing
tissues. As the muscles improve in tone, so do the nerves
that supply them to the spinal cord and back to the brain.
The nerves provide stimulus for movement and feeling and are
extremely sensitive and alert to the atmosphere inside and
outside the body.
The American Medical Association recommends that
massage therapists receive training in a massage
therapy institution that has been accredited by the
Commission of Massage Therapy Accreditation. It is equally
important to make sure that they have this accreditation and
are Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork
(NCTMB).
A certification in massage therapy
ensures that the therapist has expert information on anatomy
and physiology, as well as hands on training in specific or
various massage techniques. A Massage therapist therefore
can diagnose the health and disease and thereby decide upon
the befitting technique to be employed to relieve the
massage receiver of his problem. This is important because
for a massage to work, it needs to be utilizing the correct
technique. |
