Massage Therapy Types - Points, Sports and Acupressure Massage

There are dozens of massage therapy types and techniques. Knowing what they are and what they do is sometimes confusing. It is hard to ask for a particular type of massage if you do not know what it is called or even what it will do for you. Here we will try to break the mystery into an understandable list of some commonly practiced massage types and what they do.

Points

The belief behind Shiatsu and acupressure is that the body becomes out of balance due to blocked energy along special points called 'meridians', which are located along invisible channels of energy flow throughout the body.

Shiatsu is a Japanese word: "shi" meaning finger, and "atsu" meaning pressure. Shiatsu is a form of Japanese massage based on acupressure. Shiatsu uses rhythmic pressure from 3 to 10 seconds on specific points along the body's meridians by using the fingers, hands, elbows, and knees to unblock and stimulate the flow of energy. Oriental-based systems of finger pressure massage, such as acupressure and Shiatsu that treat points along the acupressure meridians, aiming to release discomfort and rebalance energy.

Sports Massage

Sports massage is geared toward athletes of every kind, from world-class professionals to weekend joggers. It is a special form of massage and is typically used before, during, and after athletic events. Sports massage can help prevent those niggling injuries that so often get in the way of performance and achievement, whether a person is an athlete or a once a week jogger.

It is designed to address those specific concerns and may differ according to the sport the athlete plays. Sports massage can be aimed to help heal strained muscles and allow healthy ones to reach peak performance and maintain it while minimizing the risk of injury.

Sports massage can also include pre-event, post-event and maintenance techniques that promote greater athletic endurance and performance, lessen chances of injury and reduce recovery time. In addition to feeling good, sports massage reduces the heart rate and blood pressure, increases blood circulation and lymph flow, reduces muscle tension, improves flexibility and relieves pain.

Acupressure

Acupressure has been practiced for over 5000 years. It is a form of bodywork based in traditional Chinese meridian theory in which acupuncture points are pressed to stimulate the flow of energy or chi. The technique is based on the same ideas as acupuncture. In acupressure, physical pressure is applied to acupuncture points by the hand, elbow or with various devices.

The therapist applies pressure to small contraction knots, relieving pressure. Acupressure stimulates these points to remove blockages, to increase the energy flow and to promote health and harmony in the body.

Shiatsu is the most widely known form of acupressure and Zhi Ya is a form of Chinese massage based on acupressure.

Reflexology

Reflexology is an acupressure type technique performed on the hands and feet. It is a form of bodywork based on the theory of zone therapy, in which specific spots of the body are pressed to stimulate corresponding areas in other parts of the body. Reflexology is a scientific foot massage based on the principal that the feet are a "mini-map" of the body, and that every body part and organ corresponds to an area of the foot.

Designed to help bring the body back into balance reflexology uses pinpoint pressure and gentle strokes to the feet. Reflexology eliminates tension, improves circulation and stimulates the body's natural healing process. A reflexology session is meant to break-up stress patterns within the body and provide an overall relaxing experience.

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Just What is Holistic Healing?

Holism is the idea that all the properties of a given system, whether chemical, biological, mental, economic, cannot be quantified by its component parts, but rather, the systems as a whole determines in an important way much the parts behave and interact with each other.

The principle of holism was first accurately summarized by Aristotle when he said, "the whole is greater than the sum if its parts." Holistic healing, therefore, operates in part on the theory that treating the whole body is better than treating any single symptom.

In the 1970s, holism, or holistic healing was becoming known as one way to work with psychosomatic phenomena, and now holistic healers seek to adopt a holistic approach to healing medical issues that go beyond the psychological to the physical.

The approach calls for an in-depth and honest evaluation of the emotional, mental, spiritual and physical elements of a patient, and treats the "whole person" in that context, believing all factors to be related and in keeping with the basic premise of Aristotle's declaration.

Today, there are many different branches of the holistic medicine world. The approaches include chiropractic, homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, naturopathy, and reflexology, to name a few.

Most holistic approaches have little basis in traditionally accepted science, and therefore many practitioners feel the practice is poorly understood. Indeed, much miscommunication is attached as the holistic healers claim to act upon a central "vital force," "life force," or "qi" ("chi"). This claim alone puts the entire approach at odds with traditional science.

Taoism is a particular branch of holism that focuses on nature, species' interaction with each other, and spontaneity. Taoist writings first appear in ancient China around 600 BC. Those writings propose a philosophical detachment, allowing things to take their own natural course without interference. By remaining quiet and receptive, one lives in harmony with natural flow of life, with the Dao, the unnamable eternal Reality.

Any way you look at it, Taoism, and holism in general, in matters of health and healing, address more than the microscopic evaluation of a particular system, but rather how that system is reacting to its surroundings, and how it is affecting those surroundings in turn.

Holistic healing, then, approaches illness in a broader context than traditional medicine. Taoists feel that healing can occur when one comes into harmony with one's surroundings, or when one's surroundings are brought into harmony with the life force of the individual.

Nevertheless, many traditional physicians view it as nothing more than hocus-pocus.

Tao Holistic Healing (http://taoholistichealing.com/) is a holistic healing and learning center. Art Gib is a freelance writer.

The Truth Behind Alternative Health Therapy

By Anne Woodland

Alternative health therapy is often used instead of conventional treatment. Integrated therapies use a combination of either alternative or complementary therapies with normal medical treatment, for the practice of which a high level of expertise is required. Alternative therapies make available services which are not offered in conventional medicine. Some of the alternative therapies include: herbal medicine, folk medicine, and homeopathy, diet fads, new age healing, faith healing, naturopathy, chiropractic, and music therapy even though this isn't an exhaustive list. Alternative therapies very often promise cure or help in areas where conventional treatment might not wish to do so.

You can gain a sense of control over your health through alternative health therapies that improves general quality of life by making you feel better about yourself. Reducing and eliminating tension, stress, anxiety, depression and sleeplessness, causes the person to feel a sense of well-being and relaxation. Alternative health therapies can help you to reduce all of the symptoms that are associated with cancer, like feeling sick, pain, constipation, breathlessness, tiredness, diarrhea, and poor appetite along with moderating all of the side effects that are associated with the traditional treatment for cancer.

A combination of alternative health therapies and conventional medicine has been noticed to be very effective in alleviating pain, even when there is a serious condition. Some cancer support groups for example, offer these therapies for free or make a small charge and some hospitals and hospices provide as part of cancer care, alongside conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Many cancer patients currently use alternate therapy to manage and sustain themselves through the difficult cancer treatments. These therapies are very valuable in that they identify and support spiritual and emotional characteristics and physical features, but they should not be used as the only alternative line of treatment.

More than billion is spent by the Americans annually on vitamins and herbs which are alternative health products. The recent studies that were conducted by Phillips, Tindle, Eisenberg and Davis, reflected that there was roughly seventy two million adults within the United States that use alternative and complementary therapies. The studies conducted by Herman, Craig and Caspi in 2005 also show an out of pocket spend of about billion annually on these therapies.

It is very essential to find out which alternative treatment is required by your particular type of problem, how comfortable are you with it and how effective will it be. Individual therapies have been proven to improve the quality of life for many people with Motor Neuron Disease (MND), these can include: acupuncture, aromatherapy, homeopathy, hypnotherapy, massage, meditation, reiki and reflexology. It is always a good idea to consult your physician before considering any of the alternative therapies available, and it is important to double check that any additional treatment undertaken will not adversely affect any current treatment program you are on.

In the event, that you make the decision to integrate some of the alternative health therapies into your specific treatment plan, you are going to need to discuss all of your choices very openly, regularly and honestly with your physician and others that are part of your health care team. Find out where the treatment is available, at your clinic or hospital or then though the doctors own practice. Today doctors are more and more convinced that alternative therapy does have a place in the overall healing of a patient. This gives them the ability to maybe recommend alternative therapy practitioners. Most find that this type of therapy gives them back some control of their lives and lessens the anxiety and it also helps them cope with side effects of conventional treatment.

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