The Benefits of Massage

Benefits of massage: Taken from SA Journal of natural medicine issue 53.

DIETER LÜSKE is a holistic consultant, naturopath and counsellor with diplomas in Naturopathy, Clinical Hypnosis, Medical Herbalism and Homeopathy, whose experience over 30 years has merged his knowledge of different healing modalities and lifestyle philosophies into one unique down-to-earth health-and-lifestyle approach. He sees body, mind and spirit as one, and as a counsellor (psychotherapist) agrees fully with the latest scientific evidence that health and immunity problems are strongly related to and influenced by the way our minds work.

Is massage simply indulgence, a pampering of the body to make you feel better, or are there real therapeutic benefits? Dieter Lüske lists three concrete ways in which massage can help us gain optimal health.

Touch with your hands, feel with your heart, heal with your soul.

Massage is the systematic and scientific manipulation of soft body tissue. It has been used for thousands of years for relaxation and to restore and promote the good health of both mind and body. Massage releases chronic tension and pain in muscles, improves circulation, increases flexibility in the joints, and reduces mental and physical fatigue.

STRESS AND TENSION
When we experience sustained stress in our daily lives, our brain responds in a manner known as ‘fight or flight’. This signals our sympathetic nervous system, which is controlled by the hypothalamus in the brain. Muscles tighten in our neck, shoulders and back, blood vessels constrict, our eyes dilate, and large amounts of energy are expended as the adrenal glands excrete hormones. When this process continues for a long time, you feel ‘stressed out’. Massage breaks this tension by triggering the parasympathetic nervous system (the body’s way of conserving and restoring energy). Touch helps our body and mind to refocus and relax. Squeezing, stretching and kneading releases tight muscles and natural endorphins. This results in decreased pain, a decreased heart rate and a sense of calm.

MENTAL RESPONSE AND ALERTNESS
Massage relieves muscle tension, enabling blood to flow freely and supply the body with necessary nutrients and oxygen. This increases cellular activity and improves mental response and alertness – your whole system runs more efficiently, and you feel energised! The more massage you receive, the more supple and relaxed your musculature becomes.

THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
When the body is invaded by foreign cells or substances, the immune response is triggered. The body dramatically increases its production of T cells and B cells, our first line of defence. The lymphatic system, with its vast network of lymph nodes, vessels and capillaries, is also a major part of our immune system. It circulates lymph fluid throughout the body and its organs, makes contact with these foreign substances and toxins, and assists in killing them. The lymphatic system flows in part because of the contraction of skeletal muscles that compress lymph vessels and push the fluid through the body. Massage can be of significant value when normal muscle function has been lost. Massage promotes lymphatic flow through the milking and squeezing of skin and muscle tissue, mimicking muscle movement. Inhalation and exhalation also enhance the flow of the lymphatic system. Massaging the upper body releases tight respiratory muscles, facilitating more movement throughout the chest cavity and increasing lymph flow.

Natural health is a down-to-earth process, which always goes hand in hand with lifestyle changes. There is no miracle pill for all our ills, but with someone to guide and support you, you may discover what logical steps you can take to improve your health. Massage may be what you need right now.

This article appeared in issue 53