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Software Vault: The Gold Collection
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Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO
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MASSAGE
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1993-06-20
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TOUCH
^^^^^
This section covers the value of touch, a brief history
of massage and its benefits and shows you how to work on
yourself.
The importance of appropriate, nurturing touch is highly
underestimated. The ancients valued it much more than we do.
Our ancestors knew that it had restorative, rejuvenating and
therapeutic powers.
Acupressure, a thousand year old finger-pressure massage
technique, has been known to help disabled children to be
better equipped emotionally for classroom learning. PRES,
Santa Cruz, California's acupressure in the schools program,
has enjoyed marked success with developmentally disabled and
Downes Syndrome children and young adults in this and other
areas. Basically, it reduces physical, mental and emotional
stress, relieves pain and sets up trust and bonding between
the giver and receiver, thus allowing the person to function
in a more balanced, confident way.
Above and beyond all techniques, loving touch is what
heals. What you do isn't half as important as the intention
behind it. Various studies have shown that orphaned infants
who lacked tactile and sensorial stimulation were dull-eyed
and listless. Tragically, some died.
The Netsilik Eskimos who live in the Canadian Arctic, are
friendlier and and freer with their affections than we. Even
though the Eskimo mother lives in harsh conditions, she
bestows warmth and loving acceptance upon her children.
Visitors are greeted with warm and gentle hugging and
stroking. She never chides her infant or interferes with it
in any way, except to respond to its needs. We would do well
to follow in their footsteps.
Massage Benefits
Massage is an ancient, timely art. Hippocrates praised
it's therapeutic benefits. The first recorded use of
massage was in his time. He extolled the importance of touch
as an adjunct to medical treatment. Treating the whole
person, appropriate, nurturing touch balances the body and
restores one's sense of well-being. European athletes have
long valued massage for recovering from muscle injury, pain
and strain. People in the U.S.A. are just beginning to
recognize it's amazing effects.
Massage facilitates harmonious body function and restores
one's self-healing abilities. Bodywork balances the entire
system; leaving the person with a glow of well-being.
According to athletes such as Olympian Mary Decker-Slaney and
tennis pro Chris Evert-Lloyd, massage, like stretching, is an
important part of body maintenance as well as an insurance
against injury. Massage can loosen muscles that stretching
can't. It probes deeply and is specific.
A massage practitioner can also discover potential
trouble spots, For instance, tight muscle groups that are
vulnerable to strain and tendons that have a predisposition
for tendinitis. Massage therapy can be utilized as a
diagnostic tool. An achey, tense area is indicative of
improper posture, or other ineffective "habits" (both
physical and mental) that are crying out for attention and
change. Sometimes tightness in the shoulders, neck and back
indicate an incorrect sleeping posture. It is best not to
sleep on the stomach. It's optimal to sleep on your back, or
on either side. If there is back pain, sandwich a pillow
between your knees and bring them halfway to your chest.
While on your back, place the pillow underneath your knees. A
mere change in position can eliminate pain. Tension in the
scalp, forehead, neck and shoulder area, especially, can
begin to clue you and the therapist into which thought
patterns, attitudes and "out-dated" belief systems you are
operating from. Chronic tension might be indicative of
long-held traumatic memories that are literally "trapped" in
your musculature.
Bodywork unlocks and releases joints and releases pent-up
and deeply buried emotions. It is useful in recovery from
major or minor muscle injury and strain. It increases blood
and lymph flow, thereby bringing oxygen and nutrition to
speed healing of minor muscular tears. Also, it helps with
the removal of lactic acid and other toxins. Massage slows
nervous impulses in the muscle tissue to assist in pain
relief. Acting as a natural tranquilizer, it slows heart
rate, strengthens the immunological system, reduces blood
pressure and anxiety. It can relieve the pain of migraine
headaches, also. Most importantly, you will experience
profound relaxation during and after a massage. Books to see:
THE MASSAGE BOOK by George Downing and SHIATSU by Tokujiro
Namikoshi.
SELF-MASSAGE TECHNIQUES
Self-massage and stretching as stress and illness
prevention measures are most effective when applied daily.
After the fact, it can lessen stress, soothe nerves, comfort
the emotions, strengthen the immunological system, and
increase blood and oxygen flow to the body and brain. Massage
slows nervous impulses in the muscle tissue, bringing pain
relief. Used daily, it may relieve chronic stress and
depression. Besides, it feels WONDERFUL to care for yourself!
It's one more tool to put in your "bag of tricks!"
NOTES: Specific details and exact times and amounts are
sometimes left out of this tutorial, because by listening to
your own body, you will be more aware of what to do than any
specific instructions we can give. Working on yourself is a
way to get better acquainted with your body's needs. Remember
to RELAX and do it GENTLY!
Massages are not recommended for severe rheumatoid
arthritis (in some cases, very lightly pressing and gentle
stroking the arthritic or injured area can be very comforting
and healing), tissue damaged areas, inflamed joints,
fractures or serious sprains until 4 days after the injury
occurred. At this time, do the following self-acupressure
treatment for an inflamed injury that is not a fracture,
break or severe bruise:
To release stagnated blood, energy and heat, apply gentle
pressure to the swollen area. Hold this gentle but firm
pressure for 10 seconds a little below the pain threshold.
Stop pressing and relax while breathing deeply. Repeat this
10 second interval 10 times with a minute of relaxation in
between. To help in your recovery, visualize yourself doing
your favorite activity with comfort and ease. Picture the
injured part in it's pre-injured "perfect" state. And, think
positive!
In other files, we show you techniques for specific
conditions.
End of file.