Surprising Benefits of Massage Therapy
When we think of massage, we typically think of calming music, a Zen space, and a time to relax. While massage is a wonderful way to relax the body, mind and soul, it offers some unique benefits to your overall health.
Helps Prevent Sickness
Yes, it’s true! Massaging the muscle tissues stimulates your lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is important for the optimal function of the immune system. It helps maintain fluid in our body tissues by removing all fluids that leak out of our blood vessels. Our lymph nodes hold special white blood cells that multiply and release antibodies in response to bacteria and viruses. By keeping this system in constant flow, you can remove these excess fluids and bad bacteria from the body. Happy lymph, healthy life!
Lowers Blood Pressure
Certain types of massage, specifically Swedish massage, can help lower your blood pressure. This type of massage is relaxing and minimal, not putting any added stress on the body. It allows the sympathetic nervous system, which is in charge of the stress on your body, to relax. Stress is a huge contributor to high blood pressure, so it is important to keep stressors in check. With a little aromatherapy, Swedish massage can be a powerful addition to lower blood pressure.
Supports A Healthy Weight
Speaking of stress, did you know that when we are under stress our body releases a hormone called Cortisol? Cortisol is released from our adrenal glands along with insulin, another hormone, when our nervous system shifts into “fight or flight” mode. These hormones give us a quick burst of energy to tackle the ability to physically fight off a threat. But since we are not running from lions on a regular basis, you can imagine we don’t use up these hormones released in a stressful situation. Chronic stress can increase blood sugar and cause excess weight, especially in the mid-section. As we mentioned before, massage can help lower stress, which can reduce excess hormone production in the body, thus keeping weight in check.
Hold Your Alignment Longer
As if we could forget this one! Massage therapy and upper cervical go hand-in-hand. While we don’t recommend massage directly on the neck while under upper cervical care, massage in the upper traps, shoulders and back is extremely beneficial. Tight muscles from poor posture, exercising, and everyday stress can pull the atlas out of alignment. An atlas misalignment can cause more muscle tension and spasms that prevent the muscles surrounding the atlas to relax and hold its proper position.
Massage therapy is great for physical and mental stress, as well as keeping your spine aligned. We recommend massage therapy and its specific techniques to benefit your overall health and well-being.
If you are looking for a massage therapist, or if have any questions regarding the benefits of massage, our therapist, Todd Pesick is available to assist you.