Renew Your Commitment to Yourself with Massage Therapy

Once considered a luxury, massage is now recognized as beneficial to health and well-being.  It is being offered more and more along with more tradition medical treatments for a wide variety of conditions.  In addition to massage just feeling wonderful, studies are showing that massage may actually improve your health.   In a study performed by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, participants who received 45 minute sessions of deep tissue Swedish massage showed significantdecreases in levels of stress hormones in the blood and increases in white blood cells, which indicates a strengthened immune system.  The findings of the study indicate that massage may be effective in treating auto immune and inflammatory conditions.

Health Magazine also reports that stress hormones are reduced and “feel good” hormones serotonin and dopamine levels are increased by massage therapy, resulting in a slower heart rate, reduced blood pressure and blocked pain receptors. Massage is also reported to provide relief from the painful symptoms of migraines, labor pain and fibromyalgia.

For even the healthiest clients, massage helps keep the immune system strong and boost your mood, which can have a powerful effect on your health.  So, look back on your resolutions – whether you want to earn more money, be more productive at work or at home, or meet some of your fitness goals – regular massage therapy may help you get there faster with a greater sense of well being.  A relaxing massage every week can provide not only physical health benefits, but an important chance to stop and reconnect with yourself while you evaluate your progress and what’s important in life.

If you care for others in your life (kids or parents) you’ll be amazed at how much more you have to give when you take care of yourself first.  Drs. Rachel and Richard Heller explain in Ladies Home Journal that “healthy selfishness” is a vital element of living a happy life. They say, “Healthy selfishness is a way of thinking and acting in which there is a deep appreciation and concern for yourself.”  They suggest that we can all reduce stress with guilt-free pampering, concluding  that “Freedom and joy come from simple, single acts of healthy selfishness, and each act feeds the next until suddenly you discover that you are living the honest and satisfying life you always dreamed of.”   Set aside time for a regular massage to renew your energy, boost your immunity and sooth tired muscles and you’ll find that you have more to give to others, and you might just find yourself living a much happier life.