DO YOU NEED A MASSAGE IF YOU’RE HEALTHY?

Is It An Alternative Medicinal Option?

“I’m forty five years old, never had anyone massage my body.  On my last visit to my medical doctor he assured me that I was in perfect health.  Why would I need a massage?”

As a Massage Therapist, the true and honest to God answer is that you are right.  You don’t “need a massage”.    

The fact is that there are thousands who definitely “need” a massage.  For example, people who have had accidents where parts or their entire body has been traumatized; people who have suffered strokes or other diseases that affect the proper working of the muscles and skeletal system.   These people definitely “need” a massage.

So why would a healthy body that is operating efficiently, without ever being massaged, need one? When you understand what it does you can decide if you need one.

As a massage therapist, I know that most healthy efficient bodies that has never been massaged feels the pains of growth.  A common one is the pain or intense stiffness in the area between the top of your scapula (shoulder blades) and the base of the skull. 

As you read, focus your mind in that area of your body.  If you have never been massaged it’s easy to feel; it’s always there.  Roll your next around on your shoulder.  Bet you can feel the tenseness? 

Here’s why.

First, lets compare the medicinal models between the West and the East.  Western medicine treats symptoms and diseases.  To put it simply, in the West any disease or abnormality must manifest itself before it can be diagnosed and treated.   As such, you can be on the brink of a serious illness even death just after you were given a clean bill of health. 

Eastern medicine, on the other hand, originated thousands of years before advances in the West. The approach tends to be more proactive; addressing potential ailments before they can manifest.  In the East the body is considered a holistic vessel influenced by circulatory forces and elements in the universe.

That tension ache you feel in your neck is usually diagnosed in the West as stress.  The prescribed solution is to “stop worrying and take it easy”. It is also a sign of high blood pressure and the possibility of a stroke. 

As a Massage Therapist, I can tell you that if you were ever given such advice, you need to be massaged.

What happens when you get a massage?  Well if you have never been massaged before your first massage may be uncomfortably painful.  The painfulness subsides with subsequent massages.  Fact is if your body does not respond to a massage it will not feel the full benefits, a well done massage is not just a “body rub”.   No pain, no gain and there is a reason.

As you grow, your muscles expand to fill your skeletal frame.  This growth, along with the specific activity you engage in, are the two primary factors that will ultimately determine the structure of your muscular and circulatory system.   There are approximately 656 to 850 muscles in your body depending on the expert you believe.  This wide variance being a controversy as to what exactly is a muscle. 

My point is that in your normal activity it is possible to use less than one hundred of these muscles and still be certified as healthy.   Your body is like a machine that needs regular maintenance; when muscles are underused develop what is known in massage as knots or beads.  These are abnormalities, you experience as muscle tightness and rigidity. 

If you have never been massaged, consider it seriously.  Don’t turn to it as an alternative medicine option; see it from a healthy body maintenance perspective.  Stimulate the majority of your muscles, unlock the knots and disperse the beads.  A genuine massage is considered passive exercise done for your health; not fun.  It should never be confused with “erotic” massages which in professional Massage Therapy circles are “sensual rob jobs’ a hop and a skip away from prostitution.  The benefits marks the difference.

The immediate effect of a genuine, well done massage has been described as a natural euphoria, lightness in the mind and spirit because of improved blood circulation and muscle stimulation. The long term result is the prevention or short circuiting of muscular irregularities, diseases and a variety of ailments. 

Now stop saying you never want a massage.   Go out and get a real massage.   A note of caution here; not all Massage Therapist are the same.  The ultimate judge is you.  If you feel nothing after a massage do not argue with yourself.  It is not the massage, it’s the therapist; get a new one.   

Jermaine Porquiso is a Certified Massage Therapist, with five years of experience massaging people in China and the Philippines.  She is certified in the use of Swedish, Thai, Shiatsu and Ventusa Massages.  She is currently living in Trinidad from where she manages a blog.  http://tntmassagemarketers.blogspot.com/    or join her on Facebook Page http://www.Facebook.com/tntasiantmt  where you get free tips for self massage and healthy living. 

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