Health Benefits of Massage
Rose May Pimentel in Health
Jun 16, 2022 • 3 min Read
Massage has been practiced by many different civilizations around the globe as a form of ancient treatment for several body conditions tens of thousands of years ago. Most Filipinos are familiar with the term ‘hilot’ or massage, a general term for pressing, rubbing, and manipulating your skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Massage may range from light stroking to deep pressure.
Society has convinced us that massage is a luxury and not a necessity; however, not only does it helps with pain management but it is also beneficial for mental health.
Here are some of the amazing benefits of ‘hilot’, from Organic Facts:
1. Relieves Anxiety
Anxiety and other lifestyle stress-related mental disorders are quickly plaguing a majority of the population, unfortunately becoming their constant companions. To help cope with such disorders, regular massage sessions can prove helpful. They can help you relax and manage stress better.
2. Infant Growth
Massage sessions for infants are recommended by doctors across the globe. It aids the weight-gaining process in infants, especially in premature babies. It helps in making the muscle tissues stronger than before.
3. Diabetes Management
It helps in controlling the level of sugar in the blood, especially in the case of children. Massage is recommended as a curative as well and as a preventative practice among children suffering from diabetes.
4. Boosts Immunity
Massage therapy can prove to be an effective practice to help your body develop a strong immune system. It can help in building protective cells in the body to neutralize attackers like infection-causing viruses and bacteria.
5. Supports Cancer Therapy Care
Patients receiving chemotherapy may experience side effects such as anxiety, fatigue, nausea, pain, and even depression. A study suggests that massage may help reduce these symptoms in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and may help improve their overall psychological wellbeing. Cancer Council NSW and Cancer Research UK suggest that massage helps the cancer patient in coping with pain, headaches, fatigue, stress, and anxiety.
6. Improves Sleep
It brings your body under a spell and lets you fall into deep relaxation, which leads to sound and proper sleep for patients suffering from sleep disorders. A session after a long hectic day is sufficient to eliminate the exhaustion in your body and guarantee a good night’s sleep to replenish your energy.
7. Reduces Pain
This increasingly popular form of alternative therapy is recommended by physicians and surgeons to their patients suffering from pain, especially after surgery. Apart from that, migraine pain and lower back pain can are also relieved using massage therapy.
8. Stimulates Nervous System
It takes away the tension that is dissolved in the human body’s nerves. Thus, our nervous system is recharged by massaging and put back to its normal functionality.
9. Increases Blood Circulation
If a person can indulge in a massage, he or she can end up with improved blood circulation inside the body. The massaging sessions help the blood to carry the necessary amounts of oxygenated blood throughout the body at an improved speed. Also, the healing power and speed of our body are increased after a massage. A head massage can help increase blood circulation in the scalp and nourish it, helping in boosting hair growth and even reducing greying of hair strands.
Indeed, massage is physical and mental therapy at the same time. If you’re not getting regular massages, start now?
Stay healthy and safe!
