Massage and Massage Therapy – History, Definition, and Overview
History: In the east, especially in China and India, massage therapy is one of the oldest forms of holistic healing which aims at relieving pain, stress, fatigue, anxiety, and curing certain sleep disorders like insomnia. Massage therapy has been extensively used to produce deep relaxation which in turn cures a lot of emotional and physical illnesses by bringing about harmony and balance between the mind and body. Massages using essential oils were extremely popular even 5000 years ago in the Indian subcontinent and is an integral part of other holistic healing techniques like herbalism, aromatherapy, color, sound and touch therapy.
Documented history indicates Egyptians used reflexology which involves the massage practitioner applying pressure to certain trigger points or reflex zones in the upper and lower extremities, which relieves the patient of certain aches and pains connected to these reflex zones.
Traditional Japanese massage technique or Shiatsu also works at increasing the energy levels in patients. According Shiatsu decrease in energy levels also decreases the natural resistance towards illnesses. Shiatsu massage works towards restoring the balance and bringing about physical and emotion well being.
Definition & Overview: The American Massage Therapy Association or AMTA defines massage as, "a manual soft tissue manipulation that includes holding, causing movement, and/or applying pressure to the body."
Massage therapy is "a profession in which the practitioner applies manual techniques, and may apply adjunctive therapies, with the intention of positively affecting the health and well-being of the client."
Massage therapy improves functioning of the circulatory, lymphatic, muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems and may improve the rate at which the body recovers from injury and illness. Massage involves holding, causing movement of soft tissue, and/or applying pressure to the body.
Some of the various massages available currently are relaxation massage, sports massage, aromatherapy massage, reflexology, and oriental massage therapies. Again, there are more than 200 massage techniques that can be employed by various massage practitioners. Some of the most common and famous massage techniques are Ayurveda, Shiatsu, Sweedish massages, Thai massage, pregnancy massage, etc., The different types of massages and massage techniques are all holistic healing practices aimed at relaxing the body and mind. They could also be very effective in treating various stress-induced illnesses and ailments.
Finding the best massage therapy treatment plan
According to AMTA therapeutic massage can help with allergies, anxiety, arthritis (both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis), asthma and bronchitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic and temporary pain, circulatory problems, depression, digestive disorders, including spastic colon, constipation, and diarrhea, headache, especially when due to muscle tension, insomnia, myofascial pain (a condition of the tissue connecting the muscles), reduced range of motion, sinusitis, sports injuries, including pulled or strained muscles and sprained ligaments, stress, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ).
Depending upon your requirement and the huge range of choices available in the field of massage therapy, it becomes extremely tedious to understand the various options and pick the massage that best suits your requirement.
SmartHealthBuyer.com will certainly save you the time and effort involved in such searches by providing you access to specific information regarding various massages types. You can further narrow down the search by providing the details of your city, state, and zip code on the SmartHealthBuyer.com website. This will help you find out details of massage therapies and therapists or practitioners located in your area.
Cost involved in massage therapy
There could be variation in price lists, primarily because certain massages involve using essential oils, and the duration of the massage sessions could vary depending upon the type of massage or the massage technique selected. Also depending on the location and setting in which the massage therapist works there could be a difference in costs. Some therapists work out of hospital setting whereas some others work out of resorts etc. Also, while finalizing your decision on a particular type of massage it is important to understand that price might not be suggestive of quality and expertise. In fact, it could be quite to the contrary; hence it is important to understand the costs involved for various massages offered by various massage practitioners at different locations.
At SmartHealthBuyer.com you will have access to the price lists of various massages being offered by massage practitioners in 300 metro areas across the United States. The SmartHealthBuyer.com price comparison engine will help you view and compares prices for various massages and also arrive at an average price involved. Using this as your yardstick it will become much simpler to arrive at the best price being offered.
How to choose a good massage therapy practitioner or massage therapist?
A massage therapist or massage therapy practitioner is someone who practices therapeutic massage. Massage therapy practitioners can be licensed after completing a specified training program. Licensed therapists may practice independently or in a medical setting. Hence it could be beneficial to try and locate licensed professionals who have undergone specific training for the purposes of massage therapy. At SmartHealthBuyer.com you will be able to go through the credentials, certifications, and educational background of all the massage therapists listed in the SmartHealthBuyer.com database.
Massage therapists could be employed at various hospitals, health clubs, retail outlets, sport’s clubs etc., and some of them could have their own private practice. Either ways, it is important to understand their level of experience and expertise and information pertaining to this could be accessed by logging into the SmartHealthBuyer.com database. By providing information regarding your city, state, and zip code you could narrow your search to massage therapists or practitioners located in your area and run a specific search regarding their professional history, credentials, certifications, licenses, and experience.
What to look for in a good massage therapist or practitioner?
It is important to see if the massage therapist selected by you has been certified by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB). This involves massage therapist or practitioners going through extensive education, training and clearing examinations in a structured environment. Certified massage therapists will also have some basic knowledge about the human anatomy, physiology, and first aid.
At SmartHealthBuyer.com you will be able to evaluate the credentials, view the educational background, read reviews, recommendations, and references by other customers who have undergone massages from the said therapist or practitioner. Accessing this information from SmartHealthBuyer.com is very simple and all you have to do is enter the details of your city, state, and zip code. SmartHealthBuyer.com will provide you access to go through all these review pages and understand the proficiency and experience of various massage therapists or practitioners.
While going through information regarding massage therapists or practitioners at SmartHealthBuyer.com keep an eye out for customer feedback and how much they benefited from massage therapy, because the aim of a good massage therapist should be to provide maximum benefit to the customer. If customers have experienced feeling relaxed, refreshed and re-energized at the end of the massage therapy then it is definitely worth giving a try!