Why Massage Therapy? Why Mobile Massage? Is It Really That Important?

As a Massage Therapist, I find myself being asked all the time, "Is massage therapy really important? Is it necessary? Is it helpful?" Since these are questions that are asked by so many, I thought it was time to finally address them. In addition to these questions, a lot of people ask why mobile massage might be important as well, which I will cover at the end of the article.

Perhaps some of the reasons for massage therapy's importance are not that clear upon initial investigation. People will think after a massage, "Yes, I feel more relaxed and less stressed, but why is that important? How does that help me in the long run?"

I have to say that as part of an overall plan for health and wellness, massage is an important and perhaps even key component. For most people who are looking to stay well and avoid debilitating health conditions, massage therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, and other alternative health care modalities are very important for many reasons.

With regard to massage, which is a healthcare modality which I am most familiar with, it can help with a variety of health conditions. Such conditions range from mild anxiety or clinical depression, all the way up to and including diabetes and high blood pressure. Considering the proliferation of scientific research and literature on this topic, it is very curious why more people do not have regular massage therapy.

For example, there was an informal study conducted years ago on diabetic patients which found that after a session of Swedish Massage, the blood sugar levels of the recipients had dropped by a statistically significant number. This study was informal in that there was no control group, and other factors were not taken into consideration, such as aerobic activity or last injection of insulin (the participants were insulin dependant diabetics). However, the results were very encouraging, and it seems that further scientific study on this topic is warranted.

People have been wondering with the recent cold and flu season, is there any way to prevent colds and flu? How can the immunity be boosted? Well, there have been some very interesting studies recently published. For example, I posted on my Facebook page some time ago about an article on the LA Times website (view it here: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/09/news/la-heb-massage-20100909) that showed that immediately after a massage there was an increased number of lymphocytes when blood samples from after the massage were compared to blood samples taken before the massage. This is encouraging news for everyone, and is especially important for those suffering from immune compromising diseases such as HIV/AIDS and cancer. It seems that more study is needed in this area.

The studies above, and others like them (the number of which has increased dramatically over the last several years) are one of the reasons why I recommend massage therapy for people of all ages and walks of life. Feeling less stressed, anxious, and depressed are also big reasons to consider massage therapy. Everyone can use relaxation in the highly stressed lives people lead. Mobile massage therapy is a great way to become introduced to massage as a form of therapy, since you can have a therapist come right to your home or office. Not only is it convenient, but it makes it easier for you to actually get a massage instead of just thinking about it. This is something everyone can benefit from.

Is Mobile Massage Done in a Van (Like Those Dog Groomers), or Is it a Mobile Phone App or Something?

Mobile Massage is not quite an established cultural institution. In fact, the terms is quite new, and may have been an attempt by Massage Therapists to separate themselves from ‘outcall' services offering something quite different than Therapeutic Massage.

Sure; there have always been massage therapists who work at others' homes, but it was usually through family and friends, and friends of family, and friends of friends, and their friends as well. Mobile Massage was a business that required Massage Therapists to gain an established following of acquaintances, slowly over time, through networking.

Then came the Internet. Mobile Massage with an online presence seems to have first started in the Central and Northern New Jersey regions, Mountainside On Site massage Therapy being among the first pioneers. Web sites began appearing, at first very slowly, until now there are dozens of new Mobile Massage companies every month. Most are gone as quickly as they appear. Unfortunately, many do not succeed.

Not having a bricks-and-mortar Day Spa at first seems cost-free, and that's what makes the business seem very appealing to recent Massage School graduates. But advertising, marketing, human resources for hiring, and many other hidden costs quickly add up.

In 99.9% of the Mobile Massage Services out there, no van or specially-equipped vehicle with an on- board massage table is involved. The session takes places in the client's own home, using the therapist's own portable massage table. Massage Therapists at Mountainside On Site Massage Therapy pull up to your house in their own unassuming vehicles, not a company car emblazoned with dozens of silly ads in vulgar colors broadcasting to all your neighbors that it's relaxation time!

Our therapists also wear scrubs, as is appropriate for any health care provider. If we had to mention it, it's because there are, in fact, companies out there whose employees dress in jeans, and drive cars that are little more than mobile billboards for their massage company. We feel all of this is in very poor taste, and does little to bring respect to the institution of Therapeutic Massage.

Sometimes Mobile Massage Therapists work at social celebrations such as Weddings, Bat Mitzvahs, or birthday parties. Corporate Chair massage for employees is another specialty that such therapists specialize in, providing therapeutic massage to workers and executives of companies, both in office and physical plants.

Only a few prospective clients have ever raised this question about working out of a van, but it is a good one. Mobile often refers to something pertaining to a Cell Phone, pr even a truck-based business such as a Mobile Dog Groomer or a Mobile Food Cart. This is all very confusing, so if you're among those who were confused as to what Mobile massage really meant, there is good reason.

Mobile Massage is synonymous with ‘On Site Massage', ‘Massage at Home', ‘Event Massage', or even ‘Corporate Chair massage'. These terms all refer to the same thing. Not a van that pulls up that you get inside of a session of massage therapy. Nor an app for your Mobile Phone that Massages you wit the vibrate function, though such an app probably does exist.

© 2013 All Rights Reserved, H Miller, NJMassage.Info, Mountainside On Site Massage Therapy

Mobile Massage in NYC: About As Hip As It Gets

Mobile Massage in New York City is definitely considered ‘cool'. The ‘thing to do'. New Yorkers, always at the edge of the wave of trendiness and what's nouveau, have already decided that yoga is only so hip. In the defense of Yoga, it's a practice that is thousands of years old, and seems to benefit just about everyone. But still, it's been decided: Massage Therapy, and Massage in your home or apartment, is the absolute coolest thing to do these days.

And there's certainly a reason. After a session of Therapeutic Massage, most people feel better. A lot better. Reducing stress is one of massage therapy's most well-known benefits. After a session of yoga, we feel likewise calm and serene, but yoga takes work. And consistent work. You really do have to keep at it to experience all of those wonderful benefits, whereas with a session of Massage Therapy, it doesn't matter if you go once a year or once a week; you'll still feel relaxed and reborn afterwards.

Many clients of Mobile Massage just happen to be practitioners of Yoga. They find that a massage session helps them with their yoga and meditation, helping them get past stuck-points, mentally, physically, and some even say spiritually. It seems most are in agreement that Therapeutic Massage in the 2010s is what Yoga was to the 1990s. It isn't that Therapeutic Massage is more hip, cooler, or in some way ‘better'; it's more like this is the decade that it's finally catching on.

When something is new, it's a curiosity that we all want to get to know better. But when it's something that's new and wonderful, and makes us feel better, helping us with our issues, both mental and physical, we take notice. And in the 1990s, yoga did just that for a good percentage of then-hip New Yorkers, many of them young professionals working in the fields of design, finance, and banking. It's probably good so many learned to be so balanced and stable; the decade that followed was not as easy, in terms of finding a good means to earn a living.

With fewer opportunities, the workplace has become ridiculously competitive. And surely, that will lead to greater stress. It's really no surprise that in these stressful times, Therapeutic Massage is thriving. Mobile Massage in NYC is specifically experiencing a surge in popularity, likely because everyone is so tired from work that they can't spare the time to drive, or even walk, to the local Day Spa and sit in a waiting room. What's cool usually becomes so because of some good reason. Yoga was cool because it worked. And now, it's the same thing with Therapeutic Massage.

© 2013 H Miller, NJMassage.Info, Mountainside On Site Massage Therapy

Massage Studies Demonstrate Therapeutic Massage Is a Valuable Adjunctive Therapy

Massage Research Studies are now quite numerous. At one time, this was not so. Therapeutic Massage benefits were once only anecdotal, but numerous universities and medical researchers have conducted unbiased, scientific studies. And now, as the studies indicate further study is warranted, we should expect to see an exponential growth in the number of research studies that will conducted in the coming years.

Massage Therapy Studies show that Therapeutic Massage provides help to individuals afflicted with a number of conditions. All age groups, from infants and kids, though middle aged and elderly people experience benefits, often different, usually age-associated, the various sorts of difficulties and challenges that each stage of life presents.

The benefits of massage therapy have always been known by the various indigenous and traditional cultures on every continent. Only a generation ago, we still did not possess any real data on whether the extraordinary claims about the benefits of Massage Therapy were based in fact or fantasy. Now even doctors are suggesting to their clients that regularly scheduled massage sessions can help.

Each new massage study adds to the total scientific knowledge about Massage Therapy and its various modalities. But this does not mean that we should discount anecdotal evidence. It is, after all, a category of evidence, not quite as solid as a controlled scientific study employing the scientific method, yet still substantial in its own way. The merits of anecdotal evidence lie in the fact that until fairly recently, in human history, there were no pharmaceuticals. People dealt with issues like pain and stiffness in whatever ways they could.

And when people saw results, they shared their experiences. Of course, fads and hype can also spread a false meme, but eventually these die out. Shiatsu is an established system that is thousands of years old. Other systems were developed in the 19th and 20th centuries, but are proving to be likewise effective.

Massage studies show benefits for kids with ADD, bed-wetting, anxiety, adjusting to new circumstances, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, stress hormone levels, asthma, autism, aggression, and more. Adults benefit in many ways as well, more than just an aid to dealing with back pain. Therapeutic massage studies show a myriad of benefits, fro help recovering from accidents and surgeries, to help with migraines, PTSD, job stress, and more. The elderly benefit by improved circulation, symptoms of Alzheimer's, osteoporosis, depression, and more. All clients at all age levels may experience an increase range of motion and ease of movement.

At NJMassage.Info, the Massage Studies page is the largest listing of linkable Massage Study Abstracts anywhere on the Internet, and continues to grow by the month. If you are aware of a specific massage study that is not the list, consider e-mailing the details using the form ion that page, so that the index can be up-to-date. Visit the Massage Research Studies Page. In time, we will most likely find that many, if not most, of the claims about Massage Therapy benefits proposed over the centuries have merit.