It must be said at the onset that although stress can be
relieved through many techniques, massage therapy is
fast-becoming a very proven and increasing acceptable method for
many people. While both stress and massage are old phenomena, it
is interesting to note how both have become intertwined as each
works, in part, for the benefit of the other.
As I mentioned above, massage is a very old therapeutic
experience and some believe it is as old as mankind. For
example, it has been used through the centuries, as far back as
500BC, in China, Egypt, Greece and India. Instinctively, when we
hurt ourselves the tendency is to rub ourselves where it hurts
the most. In essence, then, we have always used
"touch" to calm ourselves, as well as others, in time
of need.
The Need For
Massage Therapy
Perhaps there is no greater need for massage therapy than today
where conditions in society, as well as our individual actions,
have all become so frantic and stressful. A closer look
indicates how life has become for most of us more hurried,
frantic and stressful over the years. Violence at home, as well
as at work, is a prime indicator of the stress epidemic that in
endemic to our modern-day society. Long hours of commuting, as
well as other "problems" we are facing, contribute to
the latest deadly phenomenon on our roads - road rage. The
latest spin off of road rage is "air rage," where
arguments, fights and killings are now taking place in the air
aboard commercial aircrafts. The stress at work has become so
intense for many workers that recent surveys indicate that most
workers would quit their current jobs if they could, simply
because of excessive amounts of on-the-job stress.
Stress at work is
recognized as a major problem for multinational organizations
like American Express, AT&T and NBC. These companies, as
well as others, are adding massage therapy as a benefit to their
employees. The need for massage therapy is underscored by
increasing stress-related health concerns in the areas of
backaches, neck aches, poor concentration, increase irritability
exhaustion and, more recently, repetitive use injury. Again,
while there are many techniques to manage stress, massage
therapy is certainly one of the most acceptable and proven
techniques today.
Some Benefits of
Massage Therapy
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