Massage therapy is an alternative medicine that has been gaining in popularity at a rapid rate. The field of massage therapy has not only grown in size but also in the availability of therapists, massage studios and clinics that offer massage. There is no question that most people would love to get a massage. What people don’t realize about massage is that it not only feels good and relaxes the body, mind and spirit, but it actually is healing to the body, muscles and soft tissues.
Massage therapy dates back to the B.C. era to ancient civilizations such as Greek, Roman, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Egyptian and Mesopotamian. Now massage is all over the world. In China massage is considered part of their primary healthcare and is taught in medical schools. Massage therapy was introduced to the U.S. in the 1800’s. However its progression in the American medical scene has been slow and rocky. Throughout the early 1900’s massages influence decreased due to technological advancements in medicine, however massage regained its reputation in the early 60’s and 70’s as professional athletes began to use massage therapy within their health routine. One huge deterrent for massage therapy as an alternative medicine and as a profession was the unsavory characters that used massage therapy to advertise sexual services.
Buying and selling sex or sexual services is illegal in the U.S. and several other countries. Therefore using the cover of massage therapy, massage parlors offer sexual services after the purchase of a massage. For a while massage had become infamous for this type of service, which damaged its reputation. Overtime, true masseurs slowly but surely regained the reputation of massage therapy 논현안마 as a therapeutic healing treatment.
Now massage is a huge industry with thousands of schools, clinics, and therapeutic work settings as well as licensing and credentialing within each state. Even though massage parlors still exist, their presence remains largely in the seedy hoods and ghettos. Today when you mention massage therapy people don’t think of sexual favors but rather a relaxing and pleasing experience. Massage therapy has recovered its respect as a healing art through manipulation of the body and muscle tissue.
The average person would tell you that massage therapy involves rubbing the body with lotion or cream that is relaxing and feels good. This interpretation of massage, although correct in layman’s terms doesn’t explain what massage therapy is or how it affects the body. Massage therapists manipulate the soft tissues of the body to enhance function, promote relaxation, reduce muscle spasms, pain and inflammation, reduce nerve compression, decrease myofascial trigger points, increase range of motion and joint flexibility, reduce blood pressure, improve posture, calm the nervous system, and improve circulation.