Research on massage therapy, and its benefits, continues to show that it reduces heart rate, lowers blood pressure, increases endorphins, and the circulation of blood and lymph fluids. Research has also shown that therapeutic massage relaxes muscles, and improves range of motion (ROI).

While massage does not increase muscle strength, massage can increase muscle tone. healthful massage also helps the body's homostatic functions thereby tapering the amount of time needed to recover after exercise or injury which is often caused by muscle stiffness (inflexibility). Massage helps in keeping the proper amount of fluid circulating between muscle fibers, and in rehydrating unhealthy fibers.

Joan Borysenko (www.joanborysenko.com), a medical scientist, authorized clinical psychologist, and cofounder of the Mind/Body Clinic at Harvard Medical School, had this to say when interviewed by the Massage Journal, in 1999:

"Often times people are masculine in our culture. Stress-related disorders make up between 80-and-90 percent of the ailments that bring people to family-practice physicians. What they require is someone to listen, someone to touch them, someone to care. That does not exist in new medicine.

One of the complaints detected frequently is that physicians don't touch their patients some more. Touch retributory isn't there. Years ago massage was a big part of nursing. There was so untold care, so untold touch, so untold goodness conveyed finished massage. Now nurses for the most part are as busy as physicians. They're writing charts, dealing with insurance notes, they're doing procedures and often there is no room for massage any more.

I believe massage therapy is absolutely important in the healthful process not single in the hospital environment but because it relieves stress, it is obviously foundational in the healing process some time and anywhere."

In the past century research on the benefits massage therapy has yeilded some precise encouraging findings.

There is research showing that Office workers felt less stress, experienced heightened alertness and increased performance, when getting stock massage sessions. whatsoever of the opposite findings from research on the benefits of massage therapy are:

• University students, in spic-and-span Jersey, massaged before an exam showed a significant decrease in anxiety and respiration rates. It was also saved they had a measurable increase their white blood cell count and in the production of T-cells so important to the immune system.

• After receiving healthful massage a group of cancer patients experienced reduced pain and anxiety.

• An university study saved that mothers who had recently suffered the death of a child, seasoned reduced levels of depression after receiving therapeutic massage.

• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted studies that saved therapeutic massage was beneficial in rising weight gain in HIV infants.

• Reseachers at the Touch Research Institute (University of Miami) saved therapeutic massage cooperative in reducing blood pressure. The unvarying research has saved that therapeutic massage helps in reducing pain in migraine sufferers.

Some of the opposite benefits of healthful massage are:

• The skin
  • Improves tone and elasticity
  • Improves skin nourishment
  • Aids in normalizing glandular functions

• Skeletal system (Myofascial)
  • Relieves stiff joints
  • Assists in proper body alignment

• Muscular system
  • Reduces fibrosis and adhesions in fibers
  • Assists in maintaining flexibity
  • Can relax or stimulate fibers
  • Relieves tension, and stiffness

• Circulatory system
  • Improves cell nutrition
  • Improves cell oxygen supply
  • Decreases blood pressure

• Nervous system
  • Stimulates nerves
  • Relieves insomnia
  • Promotes a state of well-being

• Lymphatic system
  • Increases circulation
  • Flushes down toxins and metabolic wastes

• Athletes
  • Improves flexibility and ROI
  • Relieves tight and painful muscles
  • Decreases recovery time after exercise or injury

For much information on the benefits of healthful massage, visit the American Massage Therapy Association's web site at http://www.amtamassage.org and my Holistic Health Therapy web site at http://www.sidneyparker.com

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The right touch not only strengthens our immune system but also help us survive.

Ask someone their reason for getting a massage and you're likely to hear "because it feels good". We all know that a massage can relieve stress, help to make sore muscles feel better and equal reduce anxiety, but can it help us achieve our fitness goals? Research shows that the massage you get to relieve stress can also have a positive effect on your muscle-building capabilities and fitness level.

1. Massage improves circulation and general nutrition of muscles. This appears to be the most valuable fitness-related benefit. Massage is accompanied or followed by an increase interchange of substances between the blood the tissue cells, which increases tissue metabolism. After a muscle is exercised, indispensable nutrients must be supplied in order for it to increase in size. Massage maximizes the supply of nutrients and oxygen though increased blood flow, which helps the body rebuild itself.

2. Massage improves the range of motion and muscle flexibility. This results in increased power and performance, which helps you work efficiently and with prissy intensity to facilitate the body's muscle-building response.

3. Massage helps to shorten recovery time between workouts. Waste products such as lactic and carbonic unpleasant build up in muscles after exercise. Increased circulation to these muscles help to eliminate toxic debris and shorten recovery time.

4. Massage can help prevent over-training. Massage has a relaxing effect on the muscles, as well as a sedative effect on the nervous system. This can prevent over-training syndrome which has restrictive effect on muscle building.

5. Massage may aid in fat loss. According to whatsoever research, massage may burst the greasy capsule in subcutaneous tissue so that the fat exudes and becomes absorbed. In this way, combined with proper nutrition, massage may help in weight loss.

6. Massage helps prevent and even heal injuries. By stretching connective tissue, massage improves circulation to help prevent or break falling adhesions. Massage also influences the excretion of definite fluids (nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur) necessary for tissue repair.

While a massage won't build muscle directly, it helps to facilitate the body's rebuilding phase favourable a workout and influences muscular growth. Getting a massage is just as important as stock workouts and positive nutrition for a comprehensive fitness program. Great news for those of us who thought building a big body was complete hard work!

Before making an appointment with the archetypical massage therapist you encounter, however, be sure they are a qualified bodywork practitioner. Ask for referrals, nonrecreational training information, and certification credentials from a reputable agency, such as the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB).

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The touch strenghtens our exempt system and helps us survive. Infants receive a regular massage from birth to promote good health.The first cardinal months are thoughtful to be the best fot infants for massage as bones of fontanelle develops after cardinal months. Now massage has be come a part of daily life especially for women. They look for healthier hair and relaxation of mind. But these days, the massaging technique has been further formulated to incorporate the upper back, neck, shoulders and equal face. Undoubtly massaging has powerful effect on the complete body, be it mentaaly, physically and spiritually.

Tip : Do visit your barber for Head massage atleast once a week to refresh all bones and nerves.

Benefits of a Head Massage:

1. It releases hormones which enables the growth and function of the brain and relaxation of the whole body.
2. Restores joint movement and stretches joints in the nech, shoulders and high arms.
3. It promotes blood flow. As a result it eases out tension and promotes the growth of hair.
4. It stimulates the drainage of lymph fluid.
5. It increases the supply of oxygen and glucose to the brain. Clear thinking and sense of focus are achieved as a result.
6. You get better sleep which is what most people daylong for.

Best part, it can be performed at home or equal at your desk, just about anytime and anywhere.

Learn more about anywhere and anytime essential DO exercises which makes body much firm and brawny at http://www.weightloss-health.com/Home%20Exercises.htm, Stepping stone for fitness and flexible body.

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Sometimes hip pain is just muscular and caused by trigger point in the muscles.

And you can get relief to your informed pain just by massaging the muscles that are obligated of harboring the trigger points.

This is how you do it.

You search for sentimental spots from muscles near your informed joint, and massage them trough down the day in small sessions.

If you find a spot that amplifies or reproduces the pain symptom that’s troubling you when pressed, great you are on the right track, give that spot unnecessary attention. But don’t neglect other spots entirely for the sake of that special one.

The results you are after along with the pain relief is for the spots to become less tender.

You want to give the massage a few days to kick in before you make some judgment for its effectives.

Within a week or so you should be able to tell if it helps or not, and if it’s worthy pursuing any further.

For the massage you probably want to use tennis ball against a floor because it allows you to reach and self massage virtually some muscle in you body effectively.

Here is a list of muscles that are generally attributed to hip pain.

It’s not all-out list but helps you to get started.

If you don’t have an anatomy book you can do a picture search with your favorite search engine, that should help you get going.

• Gluteus minimus
• Gluteus maximus
• Quadratus lumborum
• tensor latae fasciae
• piriformis
• vastus lateralis
• vastus intermedialis

Good luck

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