| With fast paced lives and the continuous chase to meet deadlines,
the tired mind and body does tend to seek out for a stress buster and
increasingly so. Some people enjoy a stressful situation and find a
rewarding experience in working under stress. Whereas there are people
who are bogged down by stress and find stress affecting not only their
minds but their bodies as well. Stress can do that to you. Anger,
frustration and depression could lead to health problems such as
headaches, upset stomach, rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure,
heart disease, and stroke. How can one get stress out of the mind and
body?? Here is a tool that can help you eliminate stress to bring about
a relaxed you: Massage Therapy
Massage Therapy, a combination of science and
art, provides a relaxing experience by artistic hand strokes on the body
to rejuvenate the mind and body and eliminate stress scientifically. The
concept of massage is evident throughout history. The origin of the term
‘massage’ can be traced to five sources:
- Greek - masso/massein, meaning to touch or to handle, also
meaning to knead or to squeeze
- Latin - massa, lifted from Greek masso and means the same
- Arabic- mass'h or mass, means to press softly
- Sanskrit- makeh, also means to press softly
The practice of massage however has its roots in the ancient Chinese,
Greek, Roman, Indian and the Egyptian era. A Chinese book from 2,700
B.C., The Yellow Emperor's Classic Book of Internal Medicine, recommends
'breathing exercises, massage of skin and flesh, and exercises of hands
and feet" as the appropriate treatment for -complete paralysis, chills,
and fever." Massage one of the principal method of
relieving pain for Greek and Roman physicians. Julius Caesar was
apparently given a daily massage to treat neuralgia. Egyptian tomb
paintings show people practicing massage. Ayurveda, the traditional
Indian system of medicine, places great emphasis on massage and it
remains widely practiced in India. "The Physician Must Be Experienced In
Many Things," wrote Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, in the
5th century B. C., "but assuredly in rubbing.. for rubbing can bind a
joint that is too loose, and loosen a joint that is too rigid."
Massage was therefore used by early physicians to treat
fatigue, illness and injury based on their basic understanding of how
the body functions. But massage was not effectively used as a form of
therapy in those days due to the lack of knowledge about blood
circulation and the therapeutic results a massage can bring about.
The disintegration of the Greek and Roman civilization lead to a scarce
practice of massage until the late 19th century that brought about the
demand for massage as a therapy. This era also saw the formation of
societies of therapists with an objective of promoting the science of
massage, organizing training and safeguarding the interests of the
public and profession. Some development from the 19th century have been:
- Swedish Henrich Ling, developed a specific massage routine based
on physiology popularly known to westerners as the Swedish massage.
- In1899 Sir William Bennett re-introduced massage to the medical
profession and opened a massage department at St George's Hospital
in London.
- In 1990, The Incorporated Society of Masseuses was formed.
During 1920 it merged with the Institute of Massage and Remedial
Exercise. A Royal Charter was then granted and the society became
known as the Chartered Society of Massage and Medical Gymnastics.
- The main standard-setting organization for massage therapists,
the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), was established in
1943 and represents about 47,000 massage therapists in 30 countries.
- In 1989, AMTA established the Commission on Massage Therapy
Accreditation (COMTA), which accredits massage therapy training
programs.
- In 1992, AMTA initiated the creation of the National
Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB),
where more than 40,000 massage therapists are now certified. NCBTMB
is recognized by an interdisciplinary organization called the
National Commission of Certifying Agencies (NCCA).
Massage has therefore come a long way from its ancient humble
origins. In the east, massage has continued to be seen as holistic and
beneficial health care continuing through out the ages. In the western
world, massage has faced more struggles to maintain its existence.
Massage as a therapy was maligned when ‘massage parlors’ became
linked with prostitution and people shied away from massage, fearing the
'touch' would be misinterpreted.
Massage has thus survived all odds on scientific and therapeutic
grounds to bring about the healing image it has today. Today, the
popularity of massage can be accredited to the highly stressful
conditions of modern living and various harmful side effects of
so-called medicines. People are now increasingly looking for holistic
and natural healthcare methods for their health problems. It is in this
context that Massage Therapy has emerged as one
of the most popular forms of health activity of our times. |
