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By Marina Petroni
The delightful benefits of massage don’t appear out of
nowhere.
The immediate soothing effects of massage and the long term
health benefits of massage occur not from occasional backrubs
from friends, but from the trained arms of certified massage
therapists. Trained arms would be an understatement, because
massage therapists actually use their entire upper body trunk
to apply correct pressure – if they merely used their hands
and
arms, they would quickly tire, and the necessary pressure
would
not be applied. When looking for a massage therapist, there
are a few things that must be understood in the search. First
of all, it is important to understand who exactly a massage
therapist is, and how to find one suitable for your needs.
The
next step, of course, is to understand what massage therapists
do – what their job encompasses and the actual art that they
practice. With this knowledge in hand, a wise decision that
will lead to less stress and better use of muscles will be
much
easier to make.
A massage therapist is a health professional who is certified
and licensed to practice a range of massage therapies to
improve the wellbeing of his or her patient. The completion
of
a massage school, which is accredited by the state that it is
located in, is necessary to legally practice massage within a
recognized location. Thus, a massage therapist can be found
working in such varied locations as hospitals and clinics,
their own private or group practices, health spas and resorts,
and large sporting events. The general program of study
required for a massage therapist includes courses in
neurology,
anatomy, pathology, first aid, physiology, combined with
practice in western and eastern massage theories. It is
important to note that a massage therapist does not replace
medical treatment by a doctor, but can very well supplement a
physician’s prescribed treatment. Physicians often recommend
seeing a massage therapist, and can refer their patients to an
appropriate therapist.
However, a massage therapist’s services are certainly not
confined to doctor referrals. A massage therapist’s office
can
be a great place for the prevention of maladies. Seeing a
massage therapist on a normal basis, even for the healthy
person (although in today’s social climates, stress has become
a factor in virtually everyone’s life, and negatively affects
health), decreases stress on muscles, and thus decreases
stress
on the mind. Massage therapy also acts positively on
circulation, immediately aiding the capillaries, so near to
the
surface of the skin, to circulate blood, as well as acting on
the muscles aiding veins bring blood back to the heart. A
massage therapist assesses his or her patient, and designs a
massage therapy program specific to the needs of the client.
Seeing a massage therapist regularly can also lead to disease
prevention in referring patients to see doctors when a
condition out of the scope of a massage therapist arises.
The massage techniques used have been both subjected to the
test of time and scientific study. Many techniques are quite
ancient, and with modern study shining more light on their
secrets, we are learning that their effects certainly are
positive on the body. Massage therapy affects both the
muscles
being manipulated, as well as certain internal organs, via the
pressure points in our hands and feet that influence those
specific organs. The techniques used by massage therapists
are
very varied, from the traditional Swedish massage, which is
known to be especially beneficial for the lymphatic system and
the circulation of the blood in the veins, to the less
conventional reflexology massage, which is the massage
affecting our organs through manipulation of points on our
hands and feet. Many other types of massage therapy exist,
and
it is wisest to both research the type that will be most
beneficial for your specific need, as well as consulting with
your massage therapist which therapy will be right for you.
While every massage therapist will be trained in a variety of
techniques, no one massage therapist will be a specialist in
all of the types.
The job of the massage therapist is to reduce the mental and
physical effects of stress, to improve the general wellbeing
of
their client, to restore health and to prevent future
sicknesses
and disease. These desired effects are achieved via the
various
techniques of massage therapy, which are wide and varied.
While
a massage therapist is not a physician, and does not pretend
to
be one, the regular visiting of a certified massage therapist
can be very beneficial for the health, as well as an important
supplement to many medical treatments. As information about
massage therapy becomes more widely available, the medical
community has begun to incorporate massage therapy into modern
medicine. Massage therapists, who study the ancient art of
muscle manipulation through rubbing, are making their
permanent
appearance in the modern setting of the medical community.
About The Author: Marina Petroni researched and wrote this
article on the subject massage therapist (
www.nmsnt.org/ ). Please place an active link to
www.nmsnt.org (Therapeutic Massage) when you decide to
publish this article.
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