Health Touches

Hitting a punching bag is actually a very effective workout, which is overlooked by many people.

Picture a massage. What comes to mind are images of someone lying on a table, partly covered with a sheet, being kneaded. But one of the newer and now equally common forms doesn’t use a table or mat at all. The recipient isn’t even prone. He or she is sitting. Chair massage has come of age.

sometimes dedicated amateurs can emulate the professional’s skill to a lesser degree, making those needed sessions a little fewer or farther between. Here are some tips on how to do that, when giving a back massage.

There are many illegal and addictive drugs, the treatments for certain drugs can be different. The treatment is also different depending on the the patients.

Massage can relieve many of the common side effects of pregnancy. Back and neck pain, just to name two, are frequent complaints particularly in the later stages.

Swedish massage and similar techniques seek to stimulate the surface and relax muscles that are readily accessible. Deep tissue massage tries to go further, to get down to layers where trigger points (muscle knots, localized pain areas) and other problems may reside.

Effleurage is one of the most common massage techniques employed. Using a succession of light or deep stroking or gliding motions, the masseuse or masseur floats across the contours of the body.

Among the many health benefits of massage is one that will surprise the novice: the ability to manipulate fascia. Fascia are body components located between the skin and the underlying muscle. It’s here that inflammation and injuries can produce damage that can be encouraged to heal by a good massage.

American missionaries invaded the Hawaiian islands in 1820 and, as ships came and went with supplies (and sometimes natives eager to leave), the native massage practice spread to the west. That art is called Lomilomi.

Most massage techniques make heavy use of the therapist’s hands and arms. Occasionally sticks will be used for certain specialized applications. But ‘recently’ a new tool has been added to the toolkit - hot stones.

Many massage techniques that later became popular in various parts of Asia actually originated in ancient India. One of the oldest is marma-point massage. Used for thousands of years, it has now made its way into Western spas where it’s a great favorite of clients.

Though the roots of Shiatsu massage go back centuries, the practice first became widely popular around the beginning of the 20th century. Then in 1940, the Shiatsu style of massage got a big boost with the founding of the Japan Shiatsu College.

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils and other plant extracts as part of a therapeutic session.

It used to be that mailmen and athletes were the two major professions that suffered neck and shoulder aches. Nowadays, with virtually everyone using a computer for long hours every day, the problem can affect anyone. Fortunately, a partial solution can be provided with a few simple, easy to learn techniques.

Sports massage may appear to be the latest ‘hot’ thing, but in fact it’s been practiced for thousands of years. The ancient Spartans, enemies of the Athenians in Greece over 2,500 years ago, regularly applied massage techniques to optimize their warriors’ effectiveness.

Swedish is the most common style practiced among massage therapists.

But even apart from the integrated practice, Thai massage has many healthful effects. A session in Thailand will often last as long as two hours and cost only a few dollars.

Anyone who has had the pleasure will verify that a good massage feels terrific. It leaves you feeling relaxed, refreshed and re-energized. But the effects are often far more than just a pleasant afterglow. A good massage can provide a definite boost in health.

The human body is an amazingly complex system, and the massage therapist has to know it well.

Whether trigger points even exist is still a matter of some controversy. Proponents on both sides will argue and reach no definite conclusion. To explore working them, will require a slight detour into some simple muscle physiology.