What is a massage?
Massage is the stroking, kneading, warming, rolling and pressing of skin and muscles.
There are lots of different kinds of massage, each with broadly different origins and aims - some focus on soothing muscle pain; others on increasing energy levels; some aim to improve a specific physical condition; others simply to help you relax.
Massage makes you feel good in lots of ways, and can have a positive effect on your whole body - your bones, your muscles, your heart, your skin, your breathing, digestion, and your mental health.
Massage works in various ways:
* It relaxes and refreshes tired or knotted muscles
* It increases blood circulation
* It stimulates deep circulation, both of blood and lymph which helps your body to heal, and generally work more efficiently
* It encourages your body to produce endorphins - the natural chemicals in your body that make you feel happy.
It's instinctive to give someone a hug or a pat on the back to comfort or reassure them; in some ways, massage is a formal version of that instinct.
What is massage good for?
In its various forms, massage can help to cure and relieve a wide range of complaints. Research shows that massage is particularly good at relieving stress-related problems, from anxiety and panic attacks, through to high blood pressure. Scientists at the University of Leeds found that links between the neck muscles and the brain play a role in controlling blood pressure. Manipulating the muscles in the neck can lower blood pressure without using drugs.
Massage encourages blood flow, which increases the amount of oxygen and nutrients that reach your organs and tissues. Whilst massage encourages your body to circulate the "good stuff"; it also encourages it to get rid of the "bad stuff" - waste products, toxins, carbon dioxide, and excess water.
It can be used to treat specific physical injuries or difficulties, and to help with rehabilitation after someone has had an injury. It can also help prevent further muscle or tissue damage.
One of its greatest effects of most massages is that it can make you feel much better about yourself, more relaxed in your own skin, calm and peaceful.
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