Most people love receiving massage and touch is important to good health, but did you know how important it can be. Massage therapy, an Ayurvedic Hindu medicine has been around for 5000 years when it was considered a sacred system. Massage therapy was used to heal injuries, relieve pain and prevent illness.
Modernly, we use massage for chronic pain as it helps stimulate blood flow and releases hormones that act as painkillers. We have learned that it also helps manage depression for some of the same reasons. Depression can manifest with back pain, body aches, sluggishness and more. A 2016 research study showed massage therapy was successful in reducing symptoms of anxiety including PTSD.
Make this new year your new beginning by saying, I deserve/need regular care. Make massage part of that regular care. Choosing the best therapist for you is best done by taking a few months and visit MANY therapists until you find one that is right for you. A good massage therapist can help you reap long lasting health benefits, especially if the therapist is also an acupuncturist. The massage can be a diagnostic tool as pain along a particular meridian can be a signal of imbalance then be treated with acupuncture or herbal medicine if applicable.