Massage Your Way To Health!

You ask what a massage can do for you, especially your health. Massage releases chronic tension and pain in muscles, increases circulation, increases flexibility in the joints, and reduces mental and physical fatigue. Additionally, massage is one of the most effective means available to combat stress. Reducing stress allows you more energy, improves your outlook on life, and reduces the likelihood of injury an illness.nnMassage is a gentle therapy that can relieve pain, and, in combination with medical attention, heal certain conditions and help prevent their return. It can relieve symptoms in conditions that are aggravated by anxiety; such as, asthma or insomnia. Because it relieves stress, massage is an excellent supportive therapy for people in psychological counseling or treatment for addiction.nnPainful or tight muscles can be relieved with massage. Massage acts directly on the muscles. It stimulates the nervous system, thereby instructing the muscles to relax even more. Massage will flush muscles of built-up waste products that can make you sore after vigorous exercise.nnIn case of injuries, massage benefits those who experience tendon, as well as, ligament sprains or muscles strains caused by accidents. By increasing circulation, massage has the ability to reduce inflammation. Certain massage techniques can limit scar tissue in new injuries and can reduce, or make more pliable, scar tissue in old injuries.nMassage also has the ability to treat secondary pain that can outlast the original cause. Examples are: headaches from eye strain, lower back ache during pregnancy, or tensing of healthy muscles to protect an injury. Besides releasing tight muscles that restrict joint movement, massage works directly on the joints to improve circulation.nIf there are times when you are forced to be immobile, i.e. injury, surgery, paralysis, massage can relieve aches and pains by improving circulation to your skin and muscles. Relaxation and increased circulation from a general massage can give relief. In fact, increased circulation, in turn, will drain tissues of excess fluid.nnWhen you are massaged on normal tissue, it feels good! Treatment on a painful area may cause some discomfort at first. This usually subsides noticeably in a few minutes. It’s important to communicate with your therapist by letting him or her know of any discomfort you may feel so that an adjustment in your treatment can be made.nIt is always good to know some self-care techniques. Rapport with your massage therapist will enable you to learn ways of releasing your own tension or help heal your injuries through breathing techniques for relaxation, gentle exercises to increase flexibility, releasing tension by contracting muscles, or pressing “trigger points”, or how to use ice and heat.nnJohn Amorelli is a graduate of the Academy of Massage Therapy, Englewood, NJ. He holds his National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and BodyWork and also is licensed in West Virginia and Virginia. Mr. Amorelli is trained and specializes in Deep Tissue/ Myofascial Release, Sports and Orthopedic massage enabling his clients relief of pain from injuries, mostly neck, shoulder, back and headaches. John has worked and continues to work with patients/clients that have Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. He is also trained to do seated massage in corporate settings, hospitals and health fairs. He continues to attend seminars and continuing education and maintains a professional active membership with the American Massage Therapy Association since 1994. n