Does anything feel better than having someone rub your tired muscles? Everyone in my family is a backrub junkie. My grown son comes over for dinner, lies down on the floor and begs, “Mom, could you rub my back?” I’ve often thought that my boys substitute back rubs when cuddling no longer seems appropriate.
Backrubs, or massage, offers a wonderful bonding touch. But it’s also therapeutic. Study after study has shown that massage not only decreases chronic back pain, but helps alleviate depression, increases mental alertness, lowers blood pressure, and even reduces pain in cancer patients following traditional treatments.
My dear friend, Woody, went to the hospital daily to massage the feet of a friend of ours dying from cancer. His visits were the highlight of her day and significantly reduced her pain. What a gift he gave her in her last days.
For those of us who are only suffering the normal ravages of age, massage increases mobility, strengthens the immune system and improves posture. The touch itself calms us and provides a sense of connection.
Although it has not been as often as I would like, I’ve grabbed every opportunity for a massage that I could get for many years. I’ve experienced a dozen different forms of massage, from Acupressure, to Ayurvedic, to Swedish, Shiatsu and Deep Tissue. I can’t say I’ve ever had a bad massage – having someone rub your shoulders, back and legs can’t be bad – but I’ve certainly had every degree of good.
I love the peaceful dripping of warm oil on your forehead, followed by a relaxing shoulder massage with Shirodhara treatments. Hot stone massage is fantastic for helping me relax into a pile of putty. But with my constant activity and stress level, my favorite massage of all is Deep Tissue. I love the feeling of someone really digging into my knotted-up muscles and kneading the tension out of them.
There are currently over 100,000 practicing massage therapists in the U.S., so there’s no excuse for not finding one that suits you. Most states have licensing regulations, and besides…research has shown that it is almost impossible to hurt someone with massage.
Eighty to ninety percent of illness in America is caused by stress. So if the most you hope to get out of a massage is stress relief, you may just be helping yourself avoid or cure an illness. The older we get the more we need to find ways to stay mentally alert, pain free and mobile. Massage is a reasonably inexpensive and accessible means of accomplishing all of those benefits.
Besides – it just feels SOOO good!
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