MASSAGE

What is Massage Therapy ?

Today Massage Therapy is one of the fastest growing forces in the field of health care. The word Massage is most likely to have emerged from the Greek word MASSEIM meaning to kneed. Massage is the oldest form of physical medicine known to man and can be traced back to the early Chinese medical manuscripts around 400 BC.

Massage was advocated by Hippocrates who was born in the 5 th century and was known as the Father of Medicine. It was widely used and written of in roman times with history recording how Julius Caesar received massage to relieve neuralgia.

Very little was recorded about massage in Europe between the roman times and the early middle ages, but by the 16 th century medicine slowly started to relearn what had been lost. Between 1776 and 1839, a Swedish Professor, Peter Lynn, created a scientific system of therapeutic massage known as Swedish massage and established a teaching institute in Stockholm.

The comfort, warmth and reassurance of touch can improve the body's wellbeing by stimulating its own natural healing processes giving a sense of wellbeing and restoring the body spirit and mind. It helps the chronic long-term stress, which is often self-imposed by modern work pressures, economic and social aspirations, coupled with environmental stress or urban living with all its attendant problems.

Massage Therapy is a healing art with a strong artistic intuitive component. So whilst your therapist needs to be trained in technique, he or she also needs to care. The expression of caring releases the intuitive components of healing.

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How does it work?

Massage is the simple manipulation of soft tissues in the body including muscle tendons and ligaments. It works in two ways; one is a mechanical action, which is created by moving muscles and soft tissues of the body using pressure and stretching movement. This action breaks up fibrous tissue and loosens stiff joints. It might also aid the drainage of length and help cleanse the tissues of acids and deposits. Its second means of action is by stimulating the nervous system through pressure. Our current knowledge of neuro-anatomy helps us to understand the fact that when we massage certain parts of the body, this can affect other areas of the body. For example, massaging the ankles may help period problems and lower bowel disorders.

What does the treatment involve ?

Each massage session will last approximately 60 minutes and will take place in a quite room on a massage table. The patient will lie down undressed apart from underclothes and the therapist will cover parts of the body not being worked on with warm towels. Essential oils are also used and the therapist will work methodically around the whole body. The number of appointments required will depend upon the health problem concerned.

Advantages

Whilst the research for massage does not fit into medical class A evidence, it is felt that massage can improve circulation, aid digestion, help insomnia and also migraine sufferers.

Massage may improve the blood circulation in several ways without putting additional strain on the heart. It may help the flow of blood through veins and also stimulates nerves that control blood vessels. It has the added benefit of relaxing tense muscles and tight connective tissues that may have been constricting blood vessels and thus enable blood to flow more freely.

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Massage helps to reduce emotional tension, induces relaxation and calms stress related heart conditions.

Here at Private General Practice Services, we are regulated by the Healthcare Commission. The alternative care industry is very under regulated, but with our knowledge of Healthcare Commission standards, we have tried to follow quality guidelines in our assessment of Practitioners. No patient is referred to or treated by alternative medicine unless they have had a full diagnosis and been given full informed choice on the various types of treatment available including orthodox medicine and surgery as well as Complimentary Therapy.

Dr. Piper trained herself in massage therapy at the age of 18 whilst studying medicine at Nottingham University. In those days, it was just a case of walking down to the University library and taking out a book on massage therapy and training myself. I then used to practice on all my friends!. Nowadays, the art of massage therapy is available to many more people through so many training courses around the country. Dr. Piper believes this is a wonderful advancement as it is a nurturing and gentle form of therapy where hands on treatment can be very healing for mind body and spirit.

Currently, the Practice has one massage therapist attached to it. Dr. Piper met Anne Kavanagh through their mutual sport of tennis. Anne keeps herself very fit with her running and tennis. She trained with an HND in Sports Science, followed by her Diploma in Sports and Swedish massage. Anne is available either at the Practice or to see patients at home.

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