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.