The ancient civilizations of the Chinese, Egyptians, Hindus and Persians used massage therapy as a principal treatment for many an ailment. Now, the fact that Americans spend 6 billion dollars annually on massage therapy gives an idea of its popularity in treating a wide range of disorders.
It is important to clearly differentiate massage therapy from sensual massage, as the word ?massage? calls to mind massage parlors, which were used to peddle sex. Today, health professionals who are well trained, certified and insured give the therapy in a clinical and comfortable atmosphere.
Massage is part art and part science. Hands manipulate the skin, muscles, soft tissues, joints, tendons and ligaments. The therapist strokes, kneads, squeezes, presses or taps to achieve the aim of treatment. The patient is made comfortable, and some lubricants like oil, cream, jelly or lotion are applied. The therapist keeps the patient covered and exposes only the area that he is working on. A typical massage session lasts about an hour.
The massage relaxes the muscles and soft tissues, improves circulation, stimulates the lymphatic system and calms the nerves. There are a wide range of mental and physical disorders for which massage therapy is very beneficial. It eases tension, knots, cramps and spasms in the muscles. Massage therapy is a prime component of most relaxation therapies and stress management. As stress is perceived to be the root cause of many problems like cardiac diseases, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorder and hypertension, stress management via massage therapy is an excellent supporting treatment for these disorders. There are quite a variety of massages - some for general purpose and some others targeting a specific problem. Some of the popular ones are Swedish massage, sports massage, shiatsu, acupressure, aromatherapy, neuromuscular therapy and prenatal pregnancy massage.
Today?s therapists are trained in professional schools, both in theory and practice. They need to pass a board examination and many states have certification standards. Therapists are registered with their professional associations. These associations like the National Certified Board for Therapeutic Massage and Body Work (NCTMB), Associated Massage and Body Work Professional (AMBP) and American massage therapy Association (AMTA) set a high standard of professional ethics and competency.
This is a treatment well suited to hectic modern lifestyles even without any illness, and has no comparative competition in relaxing the body and mind, and relieving stress.
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