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Massage, a very old and commonly used form of healing. The healing process that is caused by massage is not what most people usually think of when they think of healing in general. It is not only physically beneficial, but mentally and spiritually as well because as research shows the body longs for touch. Many years ago infants who were placed in foundling homes were dieing off by the hundreds until somebody realized what was happening and nurses were brought in to hold and cradle the infants.

Massage indirectly and directly effects the body in many ways and therefore has many benefits, yet these benefits are different for everyone. There are also many modalities, or forms of massage. The most commonly known form of massage is Swedish massage which can be used to create a feeling of length in the body and to bring awareness to all parts of the body by using flowing connective strokes.
Of course there are many general benefits of massage, but a massage for one person is not the same as it will be for someone else. Two of the general benefits are the increase of circulation of blood and lymph fluids. Of course as you know blood circulation is always a good thing without it we wouldn't be living. But what about lymph fluids, why are they so important? Lymph is a milky white fluid that collects around the muscles and tissues of the body. This fluid when warmed up is capable of flowing through the body and cleaning out all those nasty toxins that can build up. The thing is though these fluids are not constantly flowing like blood does. If these fluids are not warmed up they will not move much at all which allows toxins to build up and imbalances to occur. The feeling of stiffness is also caused by the tissues and lymph not be warmed up correctly. So massage can warm up these fluids so that your body can clean itself out.
Also massage can be beneficial to those with past or even current injuries because it can break up the old scar tissue that builds up when healing and even after healing is completed. Anyone who has ever had an injury knows that as their body is healing the muscles have a tendency to shorten, reducing their range of motion and making them develop chronic holding patterns. An example of this is someone who dislocates a knee. After the knee has healed they may still walk with a slight limp. Because their entire body has gotten used to walking like this the muscles on that side of the body will shorten and they will continue to put more weight on the

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