A therapeutic massage feels wonderful, but it’s also a wonderful addition to any healthy lifestyle. In fact, numerous medical studies and clinical trials have been conducted to prove the benefits of this alternative treatment method. If you’d like to improve both your mental and physical health, here are ten reasons to add massage to your weekly routine:
1. Lower Blood Pressure
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, hypertension can be treated with massage. After a series of treatments, both blood pressure and stress-related hormones dropped along with the patients’ stress levels.
2. Enhanced Lymphatic System
The National University of Health Sciences has found that massage stimulates your lymphatic system to work more efficiently. When this filtering system is acting sluggish, toxins build up in your body. This can contribute to aging skin, chronic inflammation, a compromised immune system, and dangerous edemas.
3. Better Circulation
Massage increases blood flow for better circulation. This can speed healing by increasing the flow of nutrients on a cellular level. It’s also the reason why patients leave the massage clinic with a healthy glow that lasts for days.
4. Chronic Pain Management
A number of studies have shown that massage therapy can be an effective way to manage chronic pain. This type of manipulation stimulates the body to release endorphins, also known as natural opiates. These safe chemicals reduce pain levels and provide an overall sense of wellbeing with no troublesome side effects.
5. Increased Flexibility
Massage can increase your flexibility and range of motion by triggering the body to produce higher levels of natural lubricants and reducing inflammation. If you feel stiff or sore much of the time, consider a deep-tissue massage. This technique targets the deepest layers of muscle and connective tissue to relieve stiffness.
6. Reduced Injuries
Professional athletes rely on sports massage as a regular part of their conditioning, but you don’t have to be a super star to take advantage of this massage benefit. A sports massage can prepare anyone for anything from a regular workout to a marathon. Use a pre-event massage as part of your warm-up routine and a post-event massage to unwind and speed your recovery.
7. Reduced Stress
Although the massage itself is relaxing, this type of therapy offers long-lasting stress relief as well. According to the Mayo Clinic, massage reduces the levels of the stress chemicals adrenaline and cortisol. This reduction lasts for several days after the session.
8. Stable Moods
If your moods vary by a large degree from day to day, regular massage treatments can help balance your emotions. Once your stress hormones are reduced and those feel-good endorphins are increased, you’ll feel more at peace with yourself and the world.
9. Depression and Anxiety Relief
There are a number of studies that indicate massage could relieve anxiety and depression. The comfort of the human touch contributes to this relief, but the change in body chemistry provides the biggest benefit. As massage decreases cortisol, it increases the patient’s serotonin and dopamine levels at the same time. These chemicals are thought to play a major role in both depression and anxiety.
10. Better Sleep Cycles
When you’re not sleeping well, it’s hard to feel good physically, mentally, or emotionally. Studies have shown that regular massage treatments, especially combined with aromatherapy, can improve the patient’s sleep cycles. In fact, some massage patients report that they slept better than ever after they made massage a regular part of their lives.
If you want to improve your health through massage therapy, come visit any of our 13 Houston locations. www.massageheightshouston.com
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/hypertension-000087.htm
http://www.nuhs.edu/patient-care/health-information/articles/lymphatic-drainage-massage/
http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/051809.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/massage/SA00082
http://healingdepression.org/index.php/component/content/article/79-m/109-massage.html
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/insomnia-000096.htm
