Acupressure is an intriguing modality of massage therapy as its methods and potential benefits are extremely expansive. It’s also hard to get a precise definition of what acupressure actually is, which is what we will try to do in today’s blog post.
Simply put, acupressure is the placement of pressure on pressure points of the body. (more…)
An exciting finding recently published in the academic Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research shows that short, targeted massage therapy sessions can increase an individual’s range of motion. While more research needs to be done to examine whether different types of massage therapy can work similarly on different muscle groups, the implications of the study are clear: Sports massage therapy can help increase an athlete’s range of motion. (more…)
As we have written, massage therapy is an excellent Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), and can be a CAM therapy for many different conditions (for example, see last week’s entry on burns and massage therapy). Recent research has shown massage therapy to be effective in dealing with symptoms on Multiple Sclerosis (MS) as well. (more…)
Most people, especially readers of this Blog, know that massage therapy can be a soothing complementary treatment to medical conditions such as cancer and asthma. New research is showing that massage therapy can help burn patients as well, a conclusion that backs up similar research done from the past decade. (more…)
Last month I wrote a Blog post that was somewhat critical of the Massage Therapy Journal, a publication put out by the American Massage Therapy Association. Today, with Veteran’s Day coming up next week, I want to commend the AMTA for its publication of an article about massage therapy and how specific organizations are trying help today’s veterans with massage therapy. The article is not available online, but I sourced it below – it’s a great read for therapists looking to give back to a very deserving segment of the population. (more…)
We’ve written about the magic of massage therapy before, and how it helps mothers (and fathers) relieve tension, lower their blood pressure, and reduce their anxiety, both before birth and after.
But a new study published in the May 2010 edition of Women’s Health reveals perhaps the most startling conclusion of all: Massage therapy can actually help women during labor. (more…)
This just in from The New York Times: Massage therapy has been shown to decrease levels of hormones that cause stress and increase levels of hormones that cause contentment and well-being.
While we’ve written about the proven stress-busting abilities of massage therapy, as well as its ability to improve mood, it’s always nice when the leading source of information in the world backs you up. (more…)
This summer’s issue of the Massage Therapy Journal includes a detailed look at Lomi Lomi massage, a modality that originated in Hawaii and has since been “westernized”, gaining recognition among massage therapists in America. The specifics of the modality are pretty interesting as there are many differences, and some similarities, between Lomi Lomi massage and a traditional Swedish massage. (more…)
Pain is something that we all experience, and it is also something that massage therapy has been shown to counter and prevent (click here). In fact, surveys have shown that people choose massage therapy in part because it helps reduce pain and generally increases their wellbeing (click here). The fact that massage therapy is an effective, non-invasive way to deal with pain and stress while improving one’s wellbeing makes the following trends in America, described below, all the more troubling. (more…)
Most people wouldn’t think that a relaxing massage can actually help you lose weight. But, after hearing the reasons why massage therapy can help take off the pounds, the conclusion should seem obvious, especially to those who read this blog and our Website regularly.