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What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word relaxation? For most individuals, it’s massage therapy.
As one of the most pleasant spa treatments known to mankind, body massages have become a sought-after method of tension release and stress relief for many people. But there is more to the treatment than that.
The power of the mindful touch – the deliberate stroking, gentle kneading, and repetitive tapping – can do more for your wellbeing than you can imagine. In fact, you might be surprised at the fact that massage offers the following six benefits for your health:
1. Bolsters immunity
In 2010, a Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine study revealed that massages trigger an increase in white blood cells, particularly the lymphocytes that are responsible for the body’s defence against diseases.
Additionally, massage therapy can help a person relax and reduce cortisol levels (the stress hormone). Scientists believe that stress is a significant immunosuppressor that weakens the immune system.
2. Supports cardiovascular health
Massages have also been found to aid in the eradication of toxins from the body. This, in turn, improves oxygen and nutrient availability along the massaged area.
Depending on the stroke used, massages help improve blood flow both in superficial and deep tissues, facilitating better lymphatic flow. It reflexively affects blood flow even in areas away from the massage site, like an opposite limb.
A body massage also enhances the viscosity of blood, making it flow more easily with the interstitial fluid through the vessels. This lowers your risk of deep vein thrombosis, a condition involving blood clotting in the pelvis, thigh, lower leg, and arms.
It also helps bring your heart rate and blood pressure under control.
Furthermore, scientists found that a massage can change the balance in hormone levels, in favour of “feel good” biochemicals dopamine and serotonin.
In turn, cortisol – known as “the stress hormone” – is decreased. As a result, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal cortex – the part of the brain responsible for hormone release – stimulates the body’s immune response and healing.
3. Improves digestion
Did you know that undergoing massage therapy can also help improve your digestion?
Because of its relaxing effect, a massage indirectly increases food and waste movement through the digestive tract. When applied in the abdominal area in a clockwise direction, it can relieve constipation and promote regular bowel movements.
Massage therapy primarily affects the internal organs, particularly those in the abdomen like the intestines and stomach. For this reason, massages have been found to be helpful for people whose movements are too restricted to facilitate bowel movement (e.g., bedridden people and the elderly).
Some digestive conditions that improve with regular massages include:
- Intestinal colic
- Biliary colic
- Flatulence
Since a smooth digestive process and regular bowel movement helps balance the entire body, it also affects hormonal regulation, nutrient absorption, and immunity.
4. Promotes better sleep
Aside from restful sleep, you can also get a much more comfortable rest with regular massage therapy.
Since massage therapy triggers the release of the “feel-good” hormone serotonin, it affects the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for a person’s sleep-wake cycle.
This alternative remedy is particularly beneficial for people who have a hard time getting good-quality sleep, like cancer patients who undergo radiation and chemotherapy.
Studies also show that the power of mindful touch benefits infants as well. It helps them sleep more and cry less, and therefore become less stressed. (If you think about it, this also benefits the new parents.)
5. Enhances skin condition
Ever wonder why your skin feels softer after a massage? Believe it or not, this is not just a result of the nourishing massage oils used during the therapy session.
You see, a body massage can mechanically alter the consistency and texture of your skin. When done regularly, it helps increase the blood flow and promotes oxygen and nutrient distribution to the skin, leaving it more supple, resilient, and flexible.
Skin manipulation can also realign collagen fibres in the dermis, improving the appearance of scars over time.
6. Relieves headache and muscle pains
Massage therapy also reduces the severity and frequency of tension headaches. With each session, people with chronic tension headaches can experience immediate effects on their perceived levels of pain.
So, the next time you feel a headache coming, don’t just wait and suffer in silence. Instead, book a last-minute massage therapy session. You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll feel the results.
The same goes for other muscle pains.
Massages can work wonders in pain relief anywhere in the body by enhancing circulation, like rubbing an elbow you accidentally knocked on the table. This has been proven by a 2011 study on chronic back pain published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Though massages may not be used as the primary mode of treatment, they are an essential component of pain management, which, in turn, is crucial for a patient’s wellbeing.
Put Your Wellbeing First
No matter how busy you are, your wellbeing should come first. The good news is that mindful touch has the power to help you improve certain aspects of your health. Do yourself a favour and visit our wellness spa for some much-needed pampering and stress relief.
