Message therapy history
BT RONDA ADDY

Massage therapy has been around for centuries. As far back as 2,700 B.C., ancient Chinese cultures used it to relieve all types of ailments. Hippocrates wrote about the benefits of rubbing and friction regarding joint and circulation problems, and Julius Caesar is believed to have had daily massages to treat nerve pain. During WWI, massages were used to treat nerve damage in soldiers, and during the 1930s, to help shell-shocked soldiers. Today, massage therapy is used in all types of settings to treat a variety of conditions ranging from stroke and heart attack to nerve damage, cancer and paralysis in babies and seniors. In addition to treating chronic conditions, massage therapy can help reduce stress and tension.

Although they use their hands mainly, massage therapists may also use their elbows, forearms and feet to apply fixed or movable pressure to the body, speeding up healing and increasing overall well-being. With all of the various types of massage therapy techniques around today, there is bound to be one for you. Here's a brief description of some of the different therapies available:

• Amma therapy is based on 5,000-year-old Chinese massage. Using their thumbs, fingers, elbows, arms, knees and feet, therapists press, stroke, stretch and manipulate pressure points along the 14 major meridians of the body. The therapy can be done while patients are fully clothed lying down or sitting up.

• Aquatic massage therapy takes place in a therapeutic pool, allowing for a wider range of motion. Patients float on their back on a pool-noodle or flutter board while therapists support their head and neck and use some of the same techniques of land-based massage as well as Watsu and Jahara massage techniques.

• Inhalation therapy is also known as breath or respiratory therapy and involves the lungs. Oxygen therapy is the most common, with oxygen fed to patients through a mask, tent or oxygen chamber. This type of therapy can also be done in patients' homes through the use of a humidifier or vaporizer or inhaling steam from hot water. To get the full benefit of this treatment, patients should stay in a warm place for an hour afterwards.

• Integrated energy therapy is a holistic therapy designed to increase life flow energy. Focusing on the nine primary energy points of the body, therapists use a cellular energy map to find out where emotions and energy are suppressed. To unblock and release the two, therapists spend an hour to an hour-and-ahalf rebalancing patients' energy fields as they lie on their back fully clothed on the massage table surrounded by pillows. After the session, patients must take some time to allow their body to readjust and absorb the massage.

• La stone therapy uses hot and cold stones to relieve sore, stiff muscles and joints. Alternating between warm and cold stones of all shapes and sizes, therapists apply the stones to the body to balance patients' chakra or energy. Warm stones improve circulation and ease stiffness, while cold stones move blood away from the swollen area.

• Moxibustion involves the use of mugwort and fire. There are two ways to practice this therapy: directly or indirectly. With the direct method, therapists roll mugwort into a cone and burn it on traditional acupuncture points of the skin, which are covered with a substance to prevent scarring. The direct heat releases endorphins in the affected area. With the indirect method, therapists roll moxa like a cigarette, light up one end and use it to heat acupuncture needles that have been placed on certain points on the body. The heat is transferred from the needles to the body, relieving sore joints and aching muscles.

This is just a sample of the various types of massage therapies available. There are therapies designed for the mind, the body and both the mind and the body. There are therapies designed to relieve aching joints and muscles. There are therapies designed to aid relaxation and rehabilitation. As with any type of medical treatment, make sure you talk with your doctor first before starting massage therapy.