Life is stressful. Whether you work long hours doing physical labor, sit in an uncomfortable desk chair for hours, or spend your days chasing after children, daily like can take its toll on your body. One of the best ways to help relieve this stress in your body is through massage. From something as targeted as foot acupressure to full body massage, booking yourself an appointment for this kind of self-care can have some major benefits. If you are considering getting a massage, here are three important things to understand:
1) Not All Massage is Created Equally There are many different types of massage and reflexology. Different types utilize different techniques and amounts of pressure. One type of massage is acupressure. In acupressure, the principles of acupuncture are incorporated into a touch therapy technique that uses finger pressure instead of needles on different points throughout the body. When performed by a qualified therapist, acupressure can help treat a variety of health conditions, including headaches, allergies, asthma, menstrual cramps, sprains, and general aches and paints. Another type of massage is reflexology. Reflexology is based on the principle that there are reflexes located in the hands and feet that correspond with organs and glands throughout the body. Stimulating these can provide relief. Foot reflexology alone can positively affect symptoms ranging from stress and headaches to asthma and constipation. A full body massage often incorporates aspects from a variety types of massage to provide a treatment that is tailored to your needs.
2) Massage is Ancient Medicine for Modern Life References to massage are found in Chinese medical texts dating back more than 4000 years. Though massage has increased significantly in popularity over the last several decades, the principles of it has remained similar. Providing touch therapy that is targeted to the specific needs of the patient and that is performed in a calming and soothing environment has been providing relief to people for literally thousands of years. Things like foot massage and Asian bodywork are deeply rooted in generations of knowledge and formalized teaching.
3) Your Insurance May Cover It Because massage has been demonstrated to provide relief for so many medical concerns, there is a growing recognition of its important role in the overall treatment plan for many health conditions. Building on this recognition is an increased presence of coverage for massage under insurance plans or healthcare flexible spending accounts for massage that is recommended by a doctor to treat certain conditions. If you plan to use massage to treat a medical condition, call your coverage provider and explore your options to helping you pay for this valuable service.
Whether you just pop in for a quick chinese foot massage or you want long term treatment with full body massage, adding this valuable form of touch therapy to your life can have major benefits. To learn more, read this.
