Monday, May 6, 2013

History of Massage

History of Massage
Have you enjoyed the therapeutic benefits of a professional massage lately? Are you considering regular massage as part of maintaining a healthy and fit lifestyle? Let's take a look at the history of massage to better appreciate the valuable resource that a certified professional massage therapist can bring to your team of healthcare providers.

Origin of the Word Massage

In our current vocabulary, massage is the manual manipulation of the soft tissues of the body, performed using the hands of the therapist, in order to achieve therapeutic benefits.  The Greek root of the word is masso or massein, meaning to touch, to handle, to knead, or to squeeze.  The Latin root massa has the same meaning as the Greek.  The Arabic mass'h and the sanskrit makeh mean to press softly.  

Massage in Ancient Times

Massage is one of the earliest and most natural means of relieving pain and discomfort.  When a person has any injury or pain, the first instinctive impulse is to gently touch or rub the affected area.  There are many artifacts throughout ancient civilizations that indicate that prehistoric men and women used massage as well as herbs and oils in the regular care of their bodies.  Massage, as taught anciently by healers or physicians, was one of the most prominent forms of healthcare in the ancient world.  

The Chinese and Egyptians both practiced massage as early as 3,000 B.C.  The Chinese focused on treating points of energy with acupuncture (with the use of needles) and acupressure (finger pressure instead of needles).  The Egyptians are thought to have created reflexology around 2500 B.C.  

The practice of massage spread from China to Japan and India, and later on to the Greeks of Europe.  The Greek physician Asclepius, who was later worshipped as the god of medicine, combined exercise and massage to form the art of gymnastics.  Hippocrates, a descendant of Asclepius, wrote about the benefits of massage in medical practices.  His famous code of ethics, the Hippocratic Oath, is still in use by physicians today.  Hippocrates taught that all physicians should be trained in the use of massage as a method of healing.  

The Romans learned of the benefits of massage from the Greeks and, combined with their public bath houses, made massage available to the rich and poor alike.  Roman general Julius Caesar is believed to have had a daily massage to treat neuralgia and epileptic attacks.  

There is not much recorded of massage during the Dark Ages.  With the invention of the printing press in the Renaissance, there was a resurgence of interest in massage as people once again placed importance on physical health and appearance.  Medical professionals could now share their techniques and stories of success with professionals around the world.  

Modern Massage

Modern Massage is the continuation of ancient techniques and theories combined with modern day knowledge of the complete body systems.  There is a large body of Western research that now supports the Ancient practices of the Eastern civilizations.  The most common form of massage is the Swedish massage, which is a massage designed to boost the circulatory and immune system.  It is very effective in increasing the flow of fluids throughout the body and removing toxic cellular waste while delivering fresh oxygenated blood to the muscles.  

The documented benefits of massage are widespread and enjoyed across the globe.  With the modern emphasis that is now being placed on preventative and alternative therapies, the future use of massage to increase health and maintain a vigorous lifestyle will only grow in popularity.

Millions of people just like you have already improved their quality of life through regular massage.  Check out my website http://meridianmassagecenter.massagetherapy.com for more information on different types of massage, or check out my blog http://meridianmassagecenter.blogspot.com to read success stories and testimonials from those who already enjoy a regular professional massage.


Kimberly Platter, NCMT, LMT, member AMTA

5 comments:

  1. It is a good blog and i loved to read it again and again but can you please input some more massage style to enhance my knowledge

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  2. On the surface, massage chairs seem pricey. There are models under $1000 right on up to the neighborhood of $5000. But think about it. We spend thousands of dollars on home gym equipment. Why? Because it pays off in the long run. Rates for a nationally certified massage therapist can range from $40 to even over $100 per hour depending on training, location and any added service. Sitting in your very own massage chair a few times will make up for the price! But, coupled with all the other advantages of a panasonic massage chair in the home offers, price should not even be a factor.

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  3. Actually a massage chair is a mechanical device which depends on bunch of rollers, vibrates, motors and gear mechanisms. This kind of chair usually doesn’t used to have very sophisticated mechanism because massage chair was invented fifty years a go by a dermal therapist to provided normal massage to a large amount consumer in a same time, but at this decade the sophistication of massage is growing along with its services and price.

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  4. We are also providing services like Massage Therapy Hope you will like it!

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  5. Very Informative and useful post about the benefits Massage Therapy. Keep it up the great job.

    ReplyDelete